End of the Harvest
by TwoZeroTwo
Summary: Conflict and civil unrest on a Bureau-controlled planet leads to diplomatic efforts from Midchilda that involve several top mages of the TSAB as well as another group that used to call that planet home. Not all conflicts can be resolved cleanly, and not all homecomings are welcome. 4th and final story in my MGLN series. Post-ViVid / Pre-Force
1. No Shelter

**Author's Notes:** Hey everyone, I'm TwoZeroTwo, author of three previous stories in the Lyrical Nanoha universe that include several original planets and characters within (Raze the Stray, Raise the Dawn, Times of Grace). Now, on the five year anniversary of when I uploaded the first chapter of that first story, I'm here with the fourth story set in this universe - and my final story as well for it - End of the Harvest. I'm considering it my last venture here since the timeline of this story is creeping up to the in-universe events of Nanoha Force, and while that's on hiatus I don't feel comfortable imagining an ending to that or where everyone is after Force. Hopefully this is one last exploration of the worlds and characters I've built up over the years...and is an interesting story on top of that as well.

So, I mentioned this is the fourth story in my series where each one continues after the previous material. Because 400+ thousand words of writing is a LOT to read if you haven't read me before, and because the third story (Times of Grace) was specifically an experiment to write an all-OC fic with only allusions to canon material, I want to make sure **you shouldn't need to read my previous stories to understand this one**. This plot will have the canon characters being thrust into a new situation, and any returning OCs should be able to explain what the canon group ( _AND YOU!_ ) needs to know about them.

One more thing - I know I write long chapters, however there are always multiple scenes in a chapter with line breaks between them if you need to pause. I will always try to break chapters up into Part 1 / Part 2 if one reaches 10,000 words - so no single chapter on this website should be much longer than that, if even close to that.

Otherwise, thank you for returning if you remember me from before or thank you for giving me a shot otherwise. I hope I can entertain and I hope you stick with me for one last ride.

* * *

 _If there's no way through for you, there's no way through for me  
I refuse the cool gardens, I reject my honored seat  
If there's no way through for you, there's no way through for me  
I don't need the golden banners, I don't need the vain embrace_

 _Now every road I take, no matter how far  
Leads me back here, convicted by your smile  
All is veined with a disease that I cannot escape  
For troubled cells do not a healthy body make_

 _There is no greater good if you're trodden underfoot_

 _Paradise is a lie if we have to burn you at the stake to get inside.  
Paradise is a lie if you're not by my side._

SubRosa - _Troubled Cells_

* * *

 **Chapter 1 - No Shelter**

* * *

Planet: Administrated World #84 - Siba  
City: Siba Capital  
Date: Autumn 0080

Behind her desk, the newswoman looked at the camera.

"More Bureau programs have been temporarily suspended amid growing concerns of the violence spreading across Siba Capital. General Alcyone has addressed the public's response to the news, saying quote 'we are allocating only what is necessary to maintain order in the Capital', and that when peace returns, so will the Bureau's assistance. Tonight, we will hear stories from some of those personally affected by the recent events as they wonder how much larger this movement will grow."

The news feed was projected through a holographic screen to the three passengers of a car driving down a highway in Siba Capital. The driver, a young boy in his early-to-mid-teens with short, ruffled dark-brown hair and blue eyes, looked over occasionally at the screen while mainly keeping his attention on the road. The passenger across from him was a woman in her mid-twenties, with black hair that was cut short on one side while on the other side her hair grew down past her shoulder. Her dark purple eyes glanced over at the newsfeed that her device was projecting but she also seemed too preoccupied to truly pay attention. Finally, the third passenger was a young girl around the same age as the driver with short, thick, light brown hair and hazel eyes. Around her neck was a loose necklace with a light amber gem hanging in front. She sat in the backseat behind the older woman and leaned forward, staring at the screen and taking in every word being said. All three people were wearing the Time Space Administration Bureau's Ground Forces uniforms.

The mages listened to the newsfeed until Ferraz Delahaye looked down at her device.

"Subrosa, cut it - we've heard enough."

A dark purple gem with an outline and slight indentations forming the shape of a rose pulsed with dim light as it spoke.

[UNDERSTOOD]

The screen faded out and Ferraz put the standby form of her device back in her pocket. She looked out of the window at the city around her. The tall skyscrapers of the inner city were off in the distance. Immediately nearby were retail strips and other areas that made use of being just a short drive away from one of the many condensed housing areas of the city. It was bright enough outside but the view seemed hazy and obscured by a fog perceivable but not describable. After looking out for a couple seconds, Ferraz grunted with annoyance.

"I wish they would get me on their program," she said. "I'd straighten them out."

The younger boy in the driver's seat glanced over.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"They make it sound like we're letting this happen!" said Ferraz, responding quickly as if she was just waiting to be prompted. "They point out all these incidents first and then dare to ask what the Bureau's going to do about it. We're trying to stop this. We're trying to keep people safe. But if you keep bringing it to everyone's attention over and over and telling everyone about how this rebellion is growing, then more and more people with a chip on their shoulder are going to join it. We moved our officers out of those programs and over to the front lines to stop these incidents but now we have to deal with anyone that news angered. Do you get what I'm saying, Daito?"

Next to her, Daito Mazzanti sighed.

"Yeah…I guess so."

Ferraz chuckled softly.

"I didn't mean to go on a tangent," she said. "I wish things would go back to normal as much as everybody else. Ten years ago, even five years ago, no one complained. Everyone let us do our jobs."

Behind Ferraz, the younger girl in the back spoke up.

"B…but…are we still helping?"

Hinode Evantra spoke with a genuine worry that also showed in her eyes. Unlike the jaded and resigned looks of her fellow Private First Class or the Lieutenant in front of her, her eyes were wide and her question carried real concern.

"I hope so, Hinode," answered Ferraz. "We're being proactive as much as we can. There's a lot of good people in the Capital who don't deserve to be hurt by these incidents. They've never done anything wrong and don't want to fight against us."

At this point, the woman's eyes narrowed and her tone grew harsher as well.

"People should get what they deserve. That's just a fact of life. Innocents deserve our protection without it being questioned. And everyone protesting and fighting and hurting people like pissed-off children deserve to be punished for letting this happen."

With another sudden shift, Ferraz's demeanor softened again. She pressed down on a lever on the side of her seat and moved it back, hitting Hinode's knees. The younger girl yelped in surprise as Lieutenant Delahaye pulled her legs up and put her feet on the dashboard.

"You two are good kids," she said. "If anything happens, I'll keep you safe. We're gonna do fine."

Daito checked quickly to make sure Hinode was alright. Aside from being more uncomfortable than before, she seemed okay, and Daito drew his attention back to the road as they were nearing the exit ramp to the housing sector they were headed to.

* * *

The housing in Siba Capital was extremely uniform for the most part. For those that could not afford a more luxurious option or for those who were granted a home through their service to the TSAB, blocks upon blocks of single-story homes with identical designs and identically small front lawns were most of the options. Different ornaments in the front lawns or different children's toys left outside were what mainly separated one residence from another. The cars out front would have been another marker usually, but this street was unnaturally empty. As Daito drove down it, he soon saw a crowd that had formed on the road who all had their backs to the vehicle approaching them. Past them was a tall black bus and several other Bureau cars with their lights flashing.

As Daito slowed and crept up to the scene, some of the crowd noticed the car and turned, professing their anger at the new arrival. More in the crowd turned as well, and the three Bureau officers quickly saw that these were not just confused bystanders. Many of them shouted their own protests at the car, and as Daito slowed to a crawl the three mages sat straight up and almost frozen, all three with a hand on their devices in case things turned violent. However, the protesters slowly parted to let the car through, and with much banging on the windows and verbal aggression spat at the officers they made their way onto the scene.

Inside the perimeter the Bureau had formed was the large black bus and several other officers, distinguished all by the Ground Forces uniform. Ferraz noted that no Air Forces officers were sent to help the operation. Some of the other mages were keeping people back further down the road, though the buildup of protesters was more condensed on this side by the bus. A couple other mages were helping civilians over to the bus and up into it. It was evident that the TSAB was evacuating the area.

Daito parked and the group got out. Around here the haze seemed worse, joined by the constant rumble of the bus's motor as it sat idle along with the wave of noise from the protesters. Ferraz stood, checking the scene as Hinode and Daito stood next to her. Daito gripped the standby form of his device tightly and looked around.

"Boden, be ready for combat."

The opaque crystal pulsed with light as it responded.

[ICH STEHE IHNEN ZUR VERFÜGUNG]

Hinode grabbed the gem on her necklace and held it in both hands.

"Edelkroone, scan the area."

[SCANNING]

The voice was much more generic than the ones from her partners' devices. Another thin magic screen formed in front of Hinode, showing blips of magical activity where more powerful linker cores were detected.

"I appreciate the effort, kids, but we're not here to battle," said Ferraz. "Apparently some violence has been breaking out nearby on a regular basis. We need to get everyone else out of the area now if we're going to come in with force later."

As the range on Edelkroone's scan expanded, the expected dots from Hinode's fellow Bureau officers were joined by other bold dots in the direction of the protesting crowd. Hinode saw this and her eyes darted up to meet Ferraz.

"B…but Ferraz…"

"It doesn't even look like we'd have backup to fight anyways," continued Ferraz. She smiled. "So think of this as a good PR show! You two help all the nice old ladies get out of danger and the Bureau makes some progress today."

"So what are you doing?" asked Daito.

Ferraz looked over at the crowd that had formed back in position on the other side of the barricade. Human decency was all that seemed to be keeping them on the other side, though.

"I'll deal with the audience. Someone needs to keep them in check."

Hinode swiped the projected screen away and released her device. She and Daito went to handle the current effort while Ferraz started walking towards the crowd. Though, on the way, she quickly thought of something else and spun back to her juniors.

"And no media!" she cried. "I don't want them getting the wrong idea here. You know they will."

She turned back to the protesters and as their attention focused on her, she held her device once again.

"Subrosa, activate."

[ACTIVATING]

The purple gem glowed bright white as its form shifted, first into a metallic grey handle that Ferraz kept her hand around and then expanding downwards in the shape of a sword. Below the basic handle and hilt, the entire blade was an energy blade that was the same dark purple color as Ferraz's eyes. Ferraz stayed in her uniform and did not transform to her barrier jacket though. As she stated to her juniors, she was not intending to actually fight. The move had its intended effect, at least momentarily; the crowd quieted down as she stepped within an arms' length of the front row of people.

"Alright," she ordered, "I need all of you to leave and go back to your homes."

Amid the quieter murmurs from the crowd, a woman's voice cried out from behind the immediate line.

"What is your plan?"

Ferraz rolled her eyes.

"And I don't have to answer any of your questions either," she responded. "You are interfering in official Administrative business. You need to trust us."

The woman who first responded pushed her way up to the front of the line. Ferraz immediately noticed the oversized jacket the woman was wearing that would have covered her hands even if she hadn't stuck them in the front pockets, along with the hood that trapped the woman's hair as brown ends fell around her neck to the front of her shoulders.

"And how can we trust you if you take us from our homes?" that woman shouted.

There was fervor building in the audience again. Ferraz had to nip this again quickly. She raised her arm to show Subrosa again, keeping it aimed downwards but reminding the crowd she had it.

"If you really have something to say, then step forward and I'd love to detain you with the rest of your friends."

The woman, who looked about the same age as Ferraz, almost seemed like she was going to before another woman pushed her way to the front of the crowd and put an arm in front of her companion. This person was shorter than her friend but seemed to be in her mid-twenties as well.

"Wait," said the new arrival. "Not now."

The crowd's energy calmed down again and the new arrival quickly drew Ferraz's attention. Perhaps it was her teal-green hair that was also contained in a hood and fell messily around her face. Siba had a tendency to produce fairly muted hair colors – a bolder red or lighter blonde at max – so this person immediately stuck out to Ferraz among the others. She brought her device back again and walked curiously to the green-haired woman.

"So you must be the leader then. Can I ask you to disband your group?"

"We're not going to do that," the woman responded.

Ferraz also took note of her airy voice. It wasn't bellowed and projected to the group like her friend was doing before. It worked to bring the volume down to conversation level.

"I'm Officer Delahaye with the TSAB, and I need you all to leave. You've made your complaints known, now get out of here."

She maintained eye contact with the shorter woman, waiting for a response. When one didn't come, Ferraz shook her head and continued.

"It must be nice, being on that side of the barrier. You can heckle me all you want and stay completely anonymous. You can just go home at the end of the day and-"

"Dreamer," the woman said.

Ferraz paused, thrown off by the interruption.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Dreamer. Call me that."

Ferraz laughed lightly and looked at the other woman.

"And what's your name then?" she asked.

"Dancer," the other woman replied.

Ferraz sighed, eying both over.

"Giving me aliases still proves my point. It kind of feels like you didn't tell me anything at all."

Before anyone could continue, another voice suddenly spoke behind Ferraz.

"Excuse me miss, I wanted to-"

Ferraz snapped around quickly, clutching the handle of Subrosa tighter, only to see a short old woman craning her neck up to meet Ferraz's eyes. Coming down from the spike of adrenaline, Ferraz looked up to find her group.

"Hinode!" she shouted. Hinode looked over and Ferraz quickly glance at the old woman, then back at her subordinate and then back at the woman again. Hinode got the point and rushed over.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she cried.

"I just wanted to say that I think you're all doing a very good job," said the old woman. The ground mage smiled and put her arm around the woman, patting her back.

"Ahh, thank you," said Ferraz. "You're going to be okay."

As she pulled back and Hinode guided the old woman back over to their transport, Ferraz turned to face Dancer and Dreamer again.

"You see, I can be nice when people earn my respect."

Dreamer narrowed her eyes.

"And we might listen more if you treat us with respect."

The happy feeling couldn't last too long, evidently. Ferraz crashed back down as she immediately resumed the argument.

"I could turn that around on you easily. The Bureau is the solution, not the problem. You want us to stop evacuating people when there's violence nearby? Then let's stop the violence once and for all. We need volunteers to help fill our ranks. Join us, stand on this side of the barrier, and fight back."

Dreamer closed her eyes.

"I wanted to."

"But you didn't? Why not?"

"Criminal record."

Ferraz sighed and Dreamer opened her eyes again.

"I guess that would do it," the officer responded. "No bypassing that. It doesn't make any sense that you can start riots or hurt people or do whatever you did and then turn around and get a spot on the Bureau fighting for peace. But that doesn't mean your next best option is to stand here and fight us. And if you think it is…well, stick around when I repeat my orders and I guarantee you'll change your mind in detainment."

Ferraz stared Dreamer down, waiting to see if this was end of the conversation. Right before the ground mage's attention drifted, Dreamer muttered one more thing under her breath.

"The Eye of Belka is watching this…"

Before Ferraz could process that, she heard more sounds behind her. First, it was a man arguing, and then she heard who he was arguing with. It was Hinode's voice. Ferraz looked back again to see an older man in a wheelchair pushing Hinode away as she tried to keep a grip on his chair, pushing himself away as much as he could to avoid going towards the bus. Hinode wasn't going to win this on her own, so Ferraz deactivated her device and walked over to the situation.

"Sir, I need you to calm down-"

"Get your hands off of me, both of you!" the man shouted.

"Okay, we'll – Hinode, I'll take it from here. Sir, you need to calm down, Mister…"

"Mister Kardenis, thank you," said the man. He looked normal - the expected look of someone growing old and being confined to a wheelchair. He had patchy brown hair and brown eyes with obvious bags under them.

Ferraz heard the name and quickly looked off in the distance.

"Kardenis…" she whispered. "That sounds familiar…"

Whatever thought she was reaching for didn't come to her, and Ferraz looked back at the man.

"But anyways, sir, we're here to help."

"I don't need your help!" said the man brashly. "I was on the Bureau decades ago and never would we have imagined losing control like this. I want your new General to think of a better plan."

"Mister Kardenis, you're not safe here. I mean…what if something happened?" asked Ferraz, glancing down at his wheelchair. "We're getting you all to temporary housing where the Bureau can be close by."

"How do you know I'll be safe wherever you take me?" asked the man, pushing himself away from Ferraz. He started turning himself around and pushing himself back to his house. Ferraz reached out and followed him, walking alongside and trying to persuade the stubborn man.

"Sir, I-"

"All you are doing is moving people around. That doesn't solve the problem."

Evidently the man was speaking loud enough for the crowd to hear, and a resounding wave of cheering came from the gallery. Ferraz glanced back at them, reaching for her device again, before continuing on.

"Mr. Kardenis, you need-"

"What if the violence comes with us? You're not fixing anything. Is this really the Bureau's plan?"

"It's a step. A painful step, but it's a step. Come with me, sir."

Again, the cheering from the gatherers fed into this man's anger which fed right back. Ferraz was also reaching her breaking point.

"I'm not going." He reaffirmed.

"Yes you are. We need to go."

"I'm not getting on that damn vehicle."

"Well you don't have a choice!"

Ferraz burst with anger, activating her device again and swinging it around, stopping right before it hit Mister Kardenis' neck. The man froze in place, staring wide eyed at the energy blade only inches away. Ferraz also froze in place, first as a threatening gesture but then just in shock at what she'd actually done. As she finally blinked and slowly looked around, she noticed how quiet it was. Daito, Hinode, and the other officers were just staring at her and so were the protesters. Even there, the heckling that had been so overbearing was now just murmurs at best.

Finding the energy to just clear her throat, Ferraz lowered the blade and grabbed the handles of the wheelchair while its occupant was still stunned.

"We…we need to go…" she mumbled, pushing the man back towards the bus as if that was her only purpose.

In the crowd nearby, the two women in front looked on. The taller one lowered the hood of her jacket and reached for the zipper. Several mechanical fingers reached out of the sleeve.

"It's time to act. Dancer reporting, ready for action."

Her partner also reached up to lower her hood and her teal-green hair flowed openly in the wind.

"Dreamer, ready as well."

Then, Dreamer reached her arm out and focused on the black bus.

An odd sound transmitted through the air as if something was charging before a wide teal-green magic symbol formed under the bus. From it, several large strands of same-colored energy shot out and wrapped themselves around the vehicle before all tightening in, squeezing around it as if trying to crush it. Immediately there was a panic as all the people who had boarded now rushed to escape.

Ferraz looked on with shock before the realization set in about who could be summoning this. Her eyes darted back to the crowd she'd interacted with moments ago, and her gaze locked on to the woman reaching forward.

"You!" Ferraz yelled, rushing at her. "Stop!"

She gripped the handle of Subrosa with both hands, ready to strike. As she got close, Dancer stepped forwards and dropped her arms out of the jacket, letting it fall behind her. Both her arms were entirely cybernetic.

Ferraz tried to adjust but she was too close and Dancer swung her fist with all the power of the cybernetics behind it at Ferraz. A purple Belkan protection spell was formed, but it took a massive blow and Ferraz was tossed backwards to the road. She skidded along it and as she pushed herself back up, all hell had broken loose.

Whoever else wanted to get violent was firing in from the crowds that had gathered with little regard for anyone else. Around them, people who didn't want to fight still fled from the bus or from the dissipating groups.

"Stop!" yelled Ferraz as if anyone was listening. "You're not making this any better!"

In her hand, Subrosa began to pulse again, now pushing light through the entire energy sword.

[BARRIER JACKET RECOMMENDED]

"Right," said its master. "Barrier Jacket, go!"

Ferraz's body and clothes began to glow until it was so strong that her form was obscured completely. Then, the light receded and Ferraz was in her barrier jacket. She had a dark purple jacket with grey trimmings on the sleeves and collar, which was styled wide on the outer part of the jacket. The jacket hung down to the middle of her thighs and the sleeves only rolled partway down the arm. Below all that, and continuing down her arms and legs, was a black bodysuit underneath. Her shoes seemed like an extension of the material around her legs; there were soles under her feet to provide grip and protection, but there was no obvious moment where they started and the leggings ended.

She got back up and telepathically spoke to her two juniors.

" _Daito, Hinode! Barrier jackets and combat forms, now!"_

Bracing themselves behind a barrier to stop any stray projectiles, the two kids heard her and nodded.

"Boden, transform!" said Daito. He held his device up and both started to glow. Hinode did the same, reaching for her necklace and cupping it with both hands.

"Edelkroone, activate!"

She glowed brightly as well, and the glows also receded. Daito wore a long, dark-blue jacket buttoned over with lighter highlights in the center pattern that darted up the chest area. He had black pants and his shoes fit the scheme, barring the metal protection added around his ankles that matched the protection around his lower forearms too. His device had changed heavily from a simple crystal to a long pole-arm with a metallic grey cover at the end where a blue energy blade raced further up as well as partly back down the blade.

Hinode stood next to him covered in earthen tones, neither the main color or the highlights straying too far from the ashy-brown color of her hair. Her jacket had puffier sleeves than the thin ones of her direct partner and her skirt billowed slightly in the wind. Where her device normally rested as part of a necklace, the brown gem was now indented in the jacket itself above Hinode's chest.

The two didn't have long before they were noticed. As Dreamer glanced over and saw the two, she flicked some of her fingers quickly and another thick rope of magic formed out of her circle, specifically tearing the front off the bus and chucking the large pane at them. Daito swung Boden forwards, cutting through the metal as it came forwards and splitting it in two. The pieces travelled to the side enough to miss the two kids as the debris kept flying towards the ground.

Ferraz charged forwards, aiming her sword at Dancer. Dancer responded, swinging one of her arms to clash against the blade. A light pulse of magic along the arms' exterior showed that Ferraz's strike was being held back.

"You're the one that really pissed us off," said Dancer. "Dreamer, confine her!"

Dreamer nodded. Now clenching all her fingers tightly, she thrust her arm to the side and her bindings swung the entire bus across the road towards Daito and Hinode. Daito initially readied for another strike, but common sense won out and he let Hinode put a barrier up. The two still slid backwards from the sheer momentum but they weren't crushed under the heavy vehicle. Though with the street mostly clear, now a teal-green barrier formed a dome around the immediate road that blocked the two out from the fight – along with everyone else but the two aggressors and Ferraz.

In the dome, Ferraz still clashed versus one of Dancer's arms. She stared briefly up at the bright magic barrier before focusing on Dreamer.

"Binding spells and barriers…You're skilled for someone without Bureau training..."

"Attentive," replied Dreamer.

"Joined by one of those freaks who trades their own body for cybernetics…" continued Ferraz, glaring at her immediate opponent. "It's never worth it. You think it'll let you beat a mage, but when I bring you in to the Bureau, we're just going to cut those arms right off of you!"

Ferraz pulled back quickly, hoping to stagger her opponent, before racing in again with a combo of strikes that Dancer was forced to block or jump away from. When it seemed that she'd created a gap that kept Ferraz away from her, Ferraz yelled "Subrosa, extend!" and as one slash came up too short to reach her opponent, Ferraz carried through with her momentum and the blade on her sword quickly shot out to nearly double the length of what it was before. Dancer looked on in surprise and quickly brought her arms up to block the attack. It slashed across them and made the woman stumble back, looking up to see that Ferraz was already closing in again, her sword back to its regular length.

As Ferraz charged in again, more teal-green strands of magic raced out of the walls of the barrier, wrapping themselves around Ferraz's wrists and pulling taught. The sudden stop was a complete surprise for her and a sudden reminder that this fight wasn't a one-on-one battle. Trying hard to at least keep a grip on her weapon, she twisted and pulled at the bindings.

Dancer paused as well to catch her breath before looking at the partner.

"So…you wanted to let me get roughed up a little, or what?"

Dreamer walked over, shrugging.

"I kept it a fair fight as long as I could."

That airiness was back in her voice. It was partly from her carefree tone, but Dancer knew her partner was losing her energy as well.

"We need to get going," said Dancer. "We did what we meant to do."

"And what was that?" yelled Ferraz, still eyeing them down. She pulled again at the bindings, grunting with frustration when they didn't budge.

"You're not moving people against their will today," said Dancer. "The Bureau isn't getting what it wants. You're making more enemies every day, and soon, Siba Capital will burn."

Dreamer's concentration was suddenly broken by repeated attacks on her barrier from the outside. A powerful force clashed against it over and over, pushing Dreamer just as hard to keep the barrier up against the force. However, after enough swings, the blue blade of Daito's device cut through the barrier and ripped the whole thing open. The entire dome faded away, and so did the bindings keeping Ferraz in place. When she felt her arms drop to her sides again, she got a wicked grin.

"Daito, Hinode, let's finish this now!"

The other two women's eyes both shot open rapidly. Though she had been drained from her actions, Dreamer quickly reached out towards the two kids, summoning as much as she could to get them back out of the fight. Several bands of magic formed around the two and raced inwards, trapping the two against each other back to back and pinning Daito's device lengthwise against its master's front. As they both cried out in shock, they were lifted up in the air and a crystal of energy formed around them, keeping them inside unless they could break out of it as well.

All this happened in a brief moment and then Dreamer saw Ferraz bearing down on her. Dreamer shut her eyes and braced for impact, but all she felt was a hard shove as Dancer protected her again.

"No!" shouted Dancer, swinging wildly with everything she had. It hit against Ferraz's automatic barrier, smashed through that, and clocked Ferraz in the face, launching the officer back again and dropping her motionlessly to the road again.

Behind her, Dreamer shuddered, and the crystal containing Daito and Hinode dropped down and crashed sideways against the ground. Dancer knelt down to pick her partner up, preparing to carry her if necessary.

"Wait…" said Dreamer, spoken so lightly that it was obvious she was struggling to continue. She got to her feet and then slowly started shuffling over to where Ferraz had landed.

Ferraz laid on the road, completely dazed and out of it but not yet unconscious. As the seconds went by, she groaned and tried to clear her head. Soon, a blurry figure stood over her. Ferraz reached slowly for her device again, but even that effort was stopped by another binding spell pinning her arms to her sides.

Above her, Dreamer reached into her jacket and took out several flares. She cracked one open, watching the sparks shoot out the top as plumes of red smoke rose up into the sky. Then, she dropped it to the ground and reached for another one. She cracked that one open, looked at the smoke pouring out of it, and then looked at Ferraz. Grinning, she knelt down, opening the front of Ferraz's outer jacket and tucking the flare in so the lit end was up near the woman's face. Ferraz grimaced and turned away as much as she could before receiving a couple friendly slaps on her cheek.

"No media, huh?" asked Dreamer. "I wonder what they'll think about this."

She got up, and with her partner's help they made their escape from the wreckage they had caused.

Trapped in the crystal, Hinode and Daito pulled against the bindings. Neither was making much progress.

"F…Ferraz! We have to get to her!" shouted Hinode.

"I know that!" yelled her partner. "I…just can't get any…ahh! Boden, you got anything?"

The head of the device started to blink again.

[ICH BIN BEREIT ENERGIE ZU ZERSTEUEN]

"Here?" asked Daito. "Are you sure it would work?"

[DU KANNST MIR VERTRAUEN]

"If you say so… then shoot it forward! Detonation Blade!"

In front of Daito, the weapon surged with energy before launching the blue blade off the head and halfway through the exterior of the crystal before it was stopped. As the energy spike rooted in place, it soon began to glow.

"Hinode, cover your ears," said Daito.

Behind him, his partner struggled. The bindings kept her arms tightly pressed against her sides.

"I…I can't, Daito! I can't!"

The energy blade continued to glow brighter and a loud sound grew with it, reaching painful levels before the blade exploded out, shattering the crystal and also blasting against both mages. With the crystal and the bindings gone, Daito just shut his eyes and covered his head, feeling a pounding headache and hearing only a high pitched ringing for several seconds that slowly subsided enough to at least hear Hinode as well, who was crying out from going through the exact same thing. Another couple seconds, and Daito had regained enough thought capacity to look around him and see his squad leader lying next to several plumes of thick red smoke. He struggled to get to a knee.

"Hinode? Hinode, we need to go."

Each others' voices still only came through washed out and muted, but the understanding was mutual. The kids made their way over to their superior and Hinode pulled the second flare away from Ferraz's face. They broke the weak bindings and Ferraz was finally able to sit up.

"Ferraz! Are you okay?" asked Hinode.

"Ugh…I…I think so…"

She found her device lying on the street, now deactivated, and picked the gem up again. Then, Ferraz looked around and saw the aftermath. The other officers were recuperating, and otherwise the area was mostly clear of both civilians and protesters. However, there was one man sprawled out on his side on the road next to a destroyed wheelchair.

"M…Mister Kardenis?" Ferraz asked. She struggled to her feet only to kneel down again when she reached him.

The older man groaned and rolled onto his back. He was shaken up, and it looked like maybe he'd been hit with a stray magic projectile, but there was no lasting damage. It was enough that he'd need to be looked after for the moment, though.

And then, Ferraz heard the last sound she wanted to hear. There were helicopter blades in the distance quickly closing in. No doubt half the news teams in the city were converging on the location. She stood again, turned, and looked at the sky where a helicopter arrived and started circling above. She knew the cameras were watching her, but she could do little more than watch back.

* * *

Planet: Administrated World #1 - Midchilda  
City: Cranagan

Hayate Yagami looked up at the images projected onto the large screen in front of her. The screen that now filled a large part of the back wall of the room cast enough light that the overhead lighting wasn't needed. Several pictures showed images from the streets of Siba Capital portraying some of the battles that had broken out from the protests. Other pictures showed the aftermath of those fights. It was uncomfortable to realize that these images were only weeks or even days old. Midchilda had seen relative peace again for a couple years now.

Next to Hayate, Reinforce Zwei stood in her human-sized form in front of her own smaller screen, pushing the pictures from the gathered library up on to the main screen.

"Do you want to see any more, Miss Hayate?" asked Rein.

"Thank you, Rein, that's enough."

The images faded out to show what Hayate was initially looking at – the face of an older woman with greying hair that fell wavily down to the middle of her back. The woman was sitting at her own desk and had been waiting for Hayate to resume the conversation.

"General Alcyone, what we're seeing from your planet is troubling."

On the other side of the call, Alcyone shifted in her seat and propped her elbows up on her desk.

"A temporary situation, Commander. There is nothing you need to concern yourself with."

"I disagree. From the information gathered about Siba, it's also come to light the major differences between your planet's Administration Bureau and the values deployed by the central Bureau on Midchilda and expected from all other planets. Your governance over your people – your criminal justice and rehabilitation systems – it's striking compared to what most of the Bureau knows."

"Siba has never needed Midchilda's attention. We have perfected a self-sufficiency that means we don't require assistance from outside. It has worked for us so far, and it will work again."

Hayate thought for a moment and took a breath.

"It may have, when there was nothing to worry about, but now the news of your situation has reached our ears and the TSAB does not want to lose one of its planets. We are preparing a diplomatic mission to Siba to discuss Midchilda's involvement in your efforts to restore stability."

Alcyone chuckled, almost mockingly.

"Commander, I did not do my job through decades of service to reach my current position only to be disposed of by Midchilda."

"And I am not saying that will happen. We hope to have some discussions with your Bureau to find an ideal solution for all parties. We don't want to enforce our control unless it is absolutely necessary."

"And who will be leading Midchilda's group?"

"I will be."

There were several knocks on Hayate's door.

"Rein, could you please get that?"

"Yes, Miss Hayate!" said the energetic girl, running over to the door.

"I thought this was supposed to be a private meeting," said Alcyone with a smirk.

Reinforce Zwei got the door, and Fate Testarossa Harlaown stepped in wearing her standard Enforcer uniform.

"Thank you, Rein." She said with a light smile. "Good afternoon, Hayate."

Hayate looked back with a smile as well.

"Same to you."

On the screen, Alcyone leaned in.

"And Enforcer Harlaown joins the conversation too. Truly I'm feeling star-studded."

Fate took position next to Hayate.

"Who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?" Fate asked the woman on screen.

"General Dreischer Alcyone, leading General of the Siban TSAB," Hayate responded.

"Does that mean General Parkensine has stepped down?" asked Fate.

"Mm-hmm," Alcyone muttered. "I took his position just over a year ago. A great man, but we all get old and our priorities change."

Though Fate didn't show it, she was relieved she didn't have to speak to that man again. His bull-headedness and brashness still left a rough taste in her mouth when she thought about him.

"I would like Fate to assist me in our talks with Siba," said Hayate. "She has had experience working with your planet before – which is rare to find, isolated as you were."

"Ahh, yes I remember," said Alcyone. "Four years ago now, was it? Time flies, definitely."

Then, General Alcyone clasped her hands.

"Is anyone else coming for a visit, Commander?"

Hayate nodded.

"We're still finishing up the details but I would hope some of my Wolkenritter would assist me."

"Now that might be worth a celebration around these parts. The newer generations and their 'Modern Belkan' advancements have them to thank, after all. Well, it sounds like I can't persuade you otherwise from visiting so the least I could do is roll out the red carpet. Talk to my aides when a schedule has been set."

Hayate bowed lightly.

"Understood, General."

Alcyone nodded and ended her transmission. In Hayate's office, she stood there, still prim and proper in her dark-blue uniform before sighing heavily and hunching over.

"You think I did alright, Fate?"

"I think you were very professional," Fate replied.

"Good…" Hayate mumbled. "Her tone was really getting to me."

She stood up again as Reinforce Zwei began writing up a summary of the meeting.

"This isn't a joke," Hayate continued, now serious again. "They've made their Bureau and their own citizens enemies. Siba needs our help more than they realize."

"I noted this all in my work with them," added Fate, "but it wasn't my position to tell them what to do."

"Well now it might be. Hey – Fate – you mentioned a group that might be good for us to contact?"

Fate nodded.

"Correct. From my mission with Siba years ago, there were several officers who left Siba afterwards and found other positions in the TSAB. I'm sure they would also be worried, seeing their homeworld as it is, and if Siba doesn't want to listen to us perhaps they could help bridge the gap."

Hayate thought about this, and a sly smile slowly crept across her face.

"So…you're thinking, like, a mediator…"

"And they could tell us more about what to expect regarding Siba's differences. Otherwise we're going off their propaganda and my personal experience."

"I like it. Would you be able to find them again?"

Fate brought Bardiche out of her pocket.

"I believe I still have their information."

"Good. See what they're up to and let me know what they say."


	2. What Happens on the Road

**Author's** **Note:** Aside from following the standard naming scheme from the Nanoha series itself, I'm also heavily inspired by music and a lot of song/band names spill in as names of chapters, devices, etc. SubRosa is an excellent band that I brought in as the name of a device, and Boden and Edelkroone are both songs by the band Amenra (who put out an incredible album last year that you should definitely listen to if they're your type of music). This chapter is the name of a song by the band Coalesce, and you can see that the examples will continue as this goes on. I'm a metal / hardcore kind of guy, so if that's your thing, maybe check out some of these bands/songs if you're not familiar with them.

* * *

 **Chapter 2 - What Happens on the Road Always Comes Home**

* * *

Planet: Administrated World #55 – Nemelendelle  
City: Djavo Nije

In the late afternoon, four mages stood around a pool table with one setting a new game up. She slowly lifted the shaper, making sure the balls remained in place, before lining up her shot. She hunched over the table and slid her cue back before thrusting it forward with what she hoped was a precision strike. The white ball rushed forwards, but it wasn't fast enough to really break up the pile in front of it. The end result was that some of the balls drifted around the back of the table but none went in.

"Puh, amateurish," the woman said. "And so game two begins."

"It's okay, Izah," said another woman with bold red hair tied up in a high ponytail. "It'll work itself out."

The reality was that none of them was an expert at the current game; it was just another match in an after-work competition some of the Nemelendelle Bureau's officers were doing. Tonight, in a mostly-quiet bar on a weeknight when people knew the place was available, two groups were fighting rather casually to advance forwards in the brackets. All of them were in civilian clothes with light jackets and covered legs to insulate from the slight cold outside.

Izah Lumiere stepped back from the table and meandered over to a boy ten years younger than her but obviously related – her brother, Vaele. She brushed some of her light orange hair out of her face as she looked down at what the teenager was doing. He'd used the downtime of setting another game up to project a screen from his device and browse through all sorts of media he was intending to get back to eventually.

"Vaele, we're going again."

"Hmm. Let me know when it's my turn."

Vaele Lumiere simply suffered from the condition of being a teenager hanging out with a bunch of twenty-somethings. Normally, the brown-haired boy was respectful, dutiful, and listened well, especially to the other two across the table. His sister owed her life to them, after all.

Their friends and current rivals, the Kardenises, stood on the other side of the table. Negati Kardenis, the red-haired woman, stood next to her husband Bathory. He had short brown hair and was a couple inches taller than Negati. Both were in their mid-twenties. Both were officers in the planet's Time Space Administration Bureau. Both were ground mages who used Modern Belkan. Bathory was a AA rank mage, however, while Negati had peaked at AA minus.

"Your turn," said Negati, ruffling her partner's hair. Bathory smiled and went to line up a shot. He aimed for the balls that had still clumped together and struck. With little plan, he watched as he broke the group up and the pool balls started scattering around. He waited, watching the results play out before smiling as one of the striped pool balls fell into a corner pocket.

"Alright!" he said. "I tell you, Izah, we're coming back. Best 2 out of 3, here we come."

As he went to line up another shot, Negati looked across the table.

"So I heard you gave another presentation today."

"Yep," replied Izah. "Another group from Midchilda's rehab programs means another speech about all of their possibilities."

"How'd it go?"

"Good. It went fine. Though I really can't remember if I ever actually volunteered for this or if it's just my thing to do now."

Bathory had lined up and shot the cue ball at another striped one, though after a couple bounces it slowed to a halt, still on the table. Sighing lightly, he stood straight again.

"I don't know who I'd recommend more than you," he said. "The de-facto leader of our planet's Air Forces, Triple A rank – that's an inspiration right there."

"Right. I understand. I don't really have a problem with it. Hey - if I continue, I might actually think up a script one of these times!"

The three older mages all chuckled. Izah looked over at her brother and nudged his shoulder.

"Vaele, you're up."

The boy paused what he was doing and took Izah's cue, getting in position. Without a ton of thought, he lined up his shot and struck. The cue ball hit what he wanted to hit, but with so much still in play, the turn ended without gaining a point for his team. It did separate things further though, and obvious shots we starting to develop.

"I had a dream kind of like that a couple days ago," said Bathory. "It was weird."

"Like what?" asked Negati.

"I mean, like, I showed up to work, and right when I get in the door someone's pulling me into the conference room saying, 'today's the day we're all giving our speeches'."

"Oh, I'm sorry, those are the worst," said Negati. She went to set up, eying a particularly simple shot, as her husband continued.

"Yeah but it wasn't even a regular nightmare. I wasn't even first. I sat there, watching someone else just stand at the front and dawdle around incessantly."

"Kinda like you're doing right now?" asked Negati. "Give me a moment to concentrate."

She lined her cue up, took a breath, and plunged it forwards at the white ball. The cue ball rushed towards a striped ball, slammed into it, and then continued right behind it as both balls fell into a pocket. Negati's fleeting glimpse of happiness was swiftly cut away.

"Aagh!" she cried.

"Oof, we play any hotter and we might draw a crowd," said Bathory.

As Izah waited for the cue ball to roll through, Negati raised her hand towards Bathory's head.

"Bathory, I – I will smack you, seriously."

Bathory looked down at the floor, trying to hide his smile, and Negati smiled as well. It was all in good fun. Meanwhile, Izah set up her shot and sailed an easy shot into a side pocket. Repositioning, she aimed for something else that looked like it could work out and tried for it. Her shot connected again and another solid ball went into the pocket. She paid little attention to her opponents' stomachs dropping as she lined up to hit another solid that was up against the wall, predicting as best she could whatever ricochet she was hoping for.

"Vaele, I'm on a streak!" she said.

The boy looked up again for a moment.

"Cool," he said.

Izah fired, and when the solid-colored ball was kicked against the side, she watched as it bounced off and headed for one of the corner pockets. It was on target, but it was slowing down rapidly and soon was rolling agonizingly closer with every last bit of momentum. It rolled up right to the lip of the pocket – a single breath would send it in! – but it stopped in place before falling.

The mock scream of disappointment Izah hid behind her hands was uncomfortably close to being real.

"Hah, perfect," said Bathory, quickly recovering. He went to set up while Izah slowly sulked back to her spot. "Watch as I perform my ultimate maneuver."

He stared his shot down longer than normal, making the smallest of angle adjustments and trying to predict exactly what would happen. As this dragged on, Negati and Izah began to get more impatient, until right before one of them complained, Bathory pulled his shot away and reached over to pull his right sleeve up. There, by his wrist, was a dark green gem loosely shaped like a sun, held tight around his arm by the string he almost weaved up his lower arm, folded down and around and back again.

"Aphelion," said Bathory, "you think I can-"

The boos coming from the two women quickly broke his train of thought. He looked up at them.

"What?" he asked.

"Bathory, no devices!" said Negati. "We agreed."

"I'm not cheating with Aphelion. I'm just asking for moral support."

With an exaggerated rolling of their eyes, Negati and Izah let Bathory proceed. The man leaned in again, holding the gen in his palm.

"You think I can do this, Aphelion? For Negati and me?"

The green gem pulsed in his hand.

[YOU CAN DO IT MY MASTER]

Bathory smiled and he covered his arm up again. He focused back in on his shot, wound up, and struck the cue ball forcefully. It launched forwards, smacking the striped ball he was aiming for and sending it speeding towards a pocket. As the ball fell it, Bathory stood up and raised his arms.

"Woo! Team Kardenis! Now we're talking."

He turned to face Negati, hoping for a hug or a high-five in celebration. She looked like she would humor him, but both of them froze when they heard Izah's voice.

"Wait…"

Bathory looked back at the pool table. The cue ball was still rolling across it under the momentum Bathory gave it. Everyone looked to where the ball was headed, and noticed it was going back towards the corner where Izah's solid ball stood daintily next to the pocket.

It was like time slowed to a crawl. Bathory and Izah stared at the white ball as it closed the distance towards the corner while also slowing down. Seconds felt like minutes as the ball inched closer and the two mages went through rapidly different changing expressions. Izah's eyes opened wider, her smile growing more excited, while Bathory's face ran through many stages of ever-increasing horror.

The ball reached the other one in the corner and with a light tap, the cue ball stopped while the other ball finally leaned forwards. It dropped into the hole, and while it rolled though whatever mechanisms carried the balls around inside the table, Izah cheered and danced around while Bathory hunched over again. His head was down and his spirit was momentarily crushed. Izah continued celebrating while Negati softly rubbed her partner's back.

"You'll get another chance to shine. I believe in you."

With a soft groan, Bathory pulled himself back together and stood.

"I know. I love you."

"I love you too."

Aphelion started to buzz and Bathory pulled his sleeve up again. He looked down at his device as a pattern of light spread across it rhythmically.

"Aphelion, what is it?"

[INCOMING CALL, MASTER]

Bathory nodded and looked at the rest of the group.

"Hold on a second, I need to take this." He stepped away from the group and looked down at his device again. "Who is it, Aphelion?"

[THE TRANSMISSION IS FROM THE DEVICE OF FATE HARLAOWN]

Bathory's eyes went wide.

"Fate? Like…F…Fate from Midchilda?"

[AFFIRMATIVE]

Bathory had gotten so excited he almost couldn't speak. It had been years since Fate had saved him, and her personally calling him was something he'd never expected to happen again.

"O – okay Aphelion, answer it!"

As his device accepted the call and the transmission began to form across planets and dimensions, Bathory looked back over his shoulder.

"Negati, it's Fate!" he cried.

The redhead looked over rapidly.

"Fate? Really?" she asked. "Like, Enforcer Fate?"

"Yeah! Come on!"

Negati dropped everything and rushed over to Bathory. She, too, never imagined her idol would make a personal call to them again. She got over right as Fate's image formed in and the blonde enforcer addressed them.

"Hello Bathory – and Negati too. Good to see you're doing well."

Negati clamped her eyes shut and balled up her fists with excitement.

"Wow! She remembers my name!"

Izah and Vaele had wandered over as well and they looked over the other two's shoulders to see the screen themselves.

"Huh," said Izah, "you really do have an Ace on speed dial."

Flustered, Bathory tried to respond.

"Hah, I – uh, I mean – she – she called me, I don't exactly…uh…"

"Well," continued Fate, "I'm glad that I could reach you again; it has been a while since we spoke."

"Yeah, well, life's been pretty normal for us," said Negati. "We're still on Nemelendelle, right where you sent us. It was perfect for us. We're still very happy here."

"That's great to hear," said Fate. "And I see you two have stayed close."

"I know" said Negati. "It's crazy, the last time you saw us, you might have never expected it, but we helped each other out with moving to this planet and everything being different now…"

As she spoke, her smile grew wider and her face grew redder with giddiness. She looked at Bathory and he looked the same.

"…and so we stuck together and grew to know each other, and hey, we kinda liked each other, so…we got married!"

Negati held up her hand, showing off the ring while Bathory showed his wedding band as well. Fate clapped her hands in joyful surprise.

"Congratulations." she said.

Negati continued, now moving on to pleasant memories of parties and after-parties as she rambled about.

"Yeah, and we thought about going back to Midchilda for the honeymoon, we coulda seen you then, but then we did something else, and that was good, but time kinda flies and life settled in again so here we are…no kids yet - I know, we've thought about it but we kinda want to be young, dumb, and free a little longer…but soon, maybe, I dunno…but yeah, what's up?"

Fate was still smiling, but that quickly faded as she responded.

"I wish we could just reminisce, but I'm actually calling about a serious matter."

"What is it?" asked Bathory.

"Before continuing, I was hoping to get the three of you who had left for Nemelendelle together. So, that was you, Negati, and…and…Arin?..."

"Arin Vesceron," Bathory answered. "He's still here with us."

"Are you all available to speak to me together?"

Bathory briefly thought about what Arin would be doing and concluded he'd probably be off duty as well.

"Yeah, we can get him. Give us an hour and I'll call you back."

"Good," said Fate. "I look forward to seeing you then."

"Wait," said Negati, "what is it, Fate? What do you want to tell us?"

Fate hesitated, looking down at her desk. She breathed in and looked back at the group.

"It's about Siba. I will tell you more when we meet again. Goodbye."

Fate ended her call, and the group stood there silently. Negati and Bathory had no idea what to think, and the Lumieres could only wait for them to respond.

"Siba…" whispered Negati.

"I haven't thought about home in years…" said Bathory.

Negati turned to look at her partner.

"Do you even want to know what Fate will tell us?" she asked.

Bathory gulped, his throat feeling dry suddenly.

"I think we have to."

Slowly, the couple turned around towards their friends. They both checked their pockets and made sure they had their belongings with them.

"Well, it was good seeing you," said Negati. "But we need to get going."

"Yeah…" muttered Bathory. "We can pick this up at a later time."

* * *

Siba

Ferraz sat in a small examination room in the medical ward. She was hunched over, holding her head lightly as the dizziness and pain that she felt from the ambush still coursed through her. She kept her eyes focused on a small part of the floor away from the lights overhead. Across the room from her, Daito and Hinode sat next to each other. They were looking at a screen where the news was recapping the aftermath of the incident they'd been a part of. On the screen at the moment was Ferraz's response on-scene to the news team interviewing her.

"We need to clean up the damage and see if we can find those responsible," she said. She was very professional and serious, despite whatever weariness she had at the time. "We're just fortunate there were only minor injuries."

In the small room, Daito looked at his superior out of the corner of his eye.

"I thought you wanted to tell them off?" he snarked. Ferraz groaned again.

"There's a time and a place for everything, Daito…" she mumbled.

The boy closed the screen and leaned back, sliding forwards in the chair. He crossed his arms and didn't look very happy.

"I wonder what the church is gonna think of us…"

"Don't say that, Daito!" said Hinode. "We're not in trouble. I…I hope we're not…"

"Peh, I know their agenda. So do you."

Hinode fumbled to remove her necklace with Edelkroone on it as she replied.

"S – Sister Sharan sent me a message. She said she's glad we're both okay!"

"She messaged you. She likes you. All of them like you a lot more than me."

"That's not true! Don't be scared."

The boy sat up again but continued avoiding eye contact.

"Fine. But we both know the Diaken will have something to say to me. And that's not going to go well."

Hinode wanted to respond, but she couldn't. Both knew that statement at least would be true. Across from them, Ferraz moaned again.

"Unless you're that cute little nurse who told me she was gonna get a Card and come right back and heal me, I'd prefer you stay quiet."

Hinode looked down and fidgeted in her seat.

"S…sorry, Lieutenant."

There was a knock on the door. Ferraz smiled but kept her head down.

"And speaking of, perfect timing…"

Instead of the voice Ferraz expected to hear, there was a soft laugh.

"Was someone talking about me?" asked General Alcyone.

Ferraz's eyes shot open and she stood up rapidly, bowing before her superior.

"G – General Alcyone, it's a pleasure."

Daito and Hinode also stood and bowed.

"At ease," said Alcyone. She stepped forwards and looked around at the group. "I was wondering how your team had been faring after that incident."

Ferraz sighed and looked at Alcyone, already feeling defeated.

"Shall I accept my demotion gracefully or can I try to fight it?"

The older woman closed her eyes briefly, trying to hide a chuckle with her hand.

"Don't be so pessimistic, Lieutenant. At this moment, I need anyone who can lead to remain in their position. Privates Mazzanti and Evantra were assigned to you and we cannot shift that structure around presently."

Ferraz breathed a sigh of relief.

"But…" continued the General, "You're the talk of the town, at least for the day. The public knows your face, and your efforts to contain them are synonymous with the Bureau looking like their enemy. I'd rather your group stay out of combat roles for the moment until they find another target."

"W…what?" asked Ferraz. "I…but I can fight. I want to fight. What about the kids? You just said –"

"And your incident isn't even the worst news I've heard today," interrupted Alcyone.

"What happened, General?" asked Hinode.

Alcyone shook her head and sighed slowly.

"Midchilda has heard about Siba's problems. They're not happy."

"Midchilda?" asked Ferraz. "Why do they care about us now? And why would we care about them doing so?"

"They're the very heart of the TSAB. They can dip their hand into any of their colonies at their own choosing. They take all the best mages – the Aces, the Wolkenritter – and bring them to their side to strengthen their power. Our Kaiser is on Midchilda, remember? Our Sankt Kaiser is now their tool and their toy. And they called me today to tell me they're watching us."

"So…what did they say?"

The older woman's brows sagged down and the wrinkles on her forehead almost twisted into knots.

"They would like to send a diplomatic group here to Siba for a conversation."

The other mages all glanced around at each other, unsure of what to say. Finally, Hinode spoke up.

"Um…t-talking is nice. At least we're not fighting."

Alcyone laughed softly again.

"They're pushing their weight around with a very obvious message behind it."

"Okay," said Daito, "so what's that got to do with us?"

"Midchilda wants us to send a party to the table to discuss with theirs," said the General. "I'm thinking your team is in the perfect position to be our diplomats."

The three officers' eyes all shot open wide. Ferraz, Daito, and Hinode stared at their commanding General.

"B…but General, no way am I going to talk to Midchilda!" said Ferraz. "I wouldn't listen to a damn thing they say."

"Exactly," replied Alcyone. "No one wants them here and we won't make this easy on them. We're required to let them come for a visit but we're not required to humor them further. You will be assisting our Chief Delegate in giving Midchilda a pleasant audience for their debates."

The idea was slowly making sense to the three, and Ferraz was even growing to like it. Hinode, however, seemed worried further by the idea. Next to her, Daito was unchanged.

"Who's the Chief Delegate?" he asked.

"Good question," said Alcyone. "Such a special position could only be reserved for a man who served his planet well, guiding us strongly away from Midchilda's gripping hand. He stepped down to get some peace and quiet but I've heard he still has a lot on his mind with regards to Midchilda."

"You…you mean…" said Ferraz.

"My predecessor, and your General for so many years. Former General, and now Chief Delegate, Gerin Parkensine."

A man knocked on the door and stepped in. He was a tall man with broad shoulders and greying hair. His military coat sported many decorations that reflected his many honors in the service of the Siban Bureau. He spoke, a voice roughened from the many years but still legible to all.

"You called for me?"

Alcyone turned to see Parkensine himself. As Ferraz's group all stood at attention and bowed again, welcoming the former General, Alcyone just waved in a dramatic fashion and welcomed the man like she were welcoming her grandkids.

"Ahh, Gerin, nice to see you. Yes, we were just talking about you – were you waiting to make such a grand entrance?"

Parkensine held his hands behind his back and slowly strolled forwards.

"I heard you talking about the mission when I arrived, and I figured the conversation was leading that way. At ease."

Though he wasn't their commanding General any more, the other officers still followed his order simply out of respect for the man.

"So, you're leading our side of the discussions, sir?" asked Ferraz.

"Correct. My schedule was open – an interesting problem for a retired man – and if Siba needs me for this position then I will gladly take it. Especially if that Ace Enforcer we hired is going to be on the panel."

He thought about the work Enforcer Fate T. Harlaown had done for Siba years ago, catching the infamous killer of a TSAB Captain – and then he thought of the disastrous result that followed, with her dragging an attempted reintegration effort out for a mage who deserved imprisonment instead. With a sly, sarcastic tone in his voice, he looked over at Alcyone and continued.

"She wanted me to step down, remember? She wanted me tried in their courts and removed from my position. The nerve of that girl…"

Ferraz's device began to buzz in her pocket. She quickly pulled the gem out.

[INCOMING CALL FROM MERLINA – SHALL I ANSWER]

Ferraz didn't have to look up to know the conversation was waiting on her now.

"No Subrosa, I'll talk to her later."

She put the device away again.

"Sorry about that. Please continue."

"Basically, Lieutenant," said Alcyone, "Parkensine will lead the discussions for our side and your group will assist him in his efforts. I'm sure he'll do a plenty good job representing us but I want more personnel on our side as well for legitimacy. Do you all understand?"

Ferraz nodded with a wicked grin.

"Their party will get exactly the treatment they deserve."

Daito understood the plan but the concept didn't thrill him. He gave a short one-word answer and that was good enough. Hinode still looked heavily reserved, but with so many important sets of eyes on her, she responded meekly, her gaze drifting to one of the opposite corners of the room.

"Good," said Alcyone. "I can get all that off my mind and get back to saving this planet."

"By the way, General," said Parkensine, "how are your efforts going? From the outside looking in, we seem to be…faltering…more than I expected."

Alcyone gave Parkensine a weary, weathered look.

"It is complicated, Gerin. I am doing my best to manage the issue."

"It just concerns me that perhaps we are not being as effective as we could be. You may say I'm out of line if you want to, but I have an idea for how I would handle this crisis."

"I appreciate the concern, but need I remind you that you are not in the position to lead our Bureau any more. This is my problem to deal with now."

Alcyone turned around and walked out, having briefed everyone of what she intended to. With little more to say, Parkensine addressed the officers still in the room.

"I will send further details as Midchilda provides them. You are dismissed."

He also left, and there was just Ferraz, Daito, and Hinode alone again.

"Umm…so…Daito and I probably need to get going." said Hinode.

"You can go if you want," replied Daito. "I'm not humoring the Church."

"It sounds like for the moment, we're off duty," said Ferraz. "Go do whatever, just be around if Parkensine calls on us."

Daito took that as a cue to quickly leave. He was out the door and heading down the hall before Hinode could even call out to him.

"Daito!...You're not going to..."

She trailed off, staring frozen at the boy getting as far as he could away from the room. Disappointed, she whimpered.

"I don't think you're gonna reach him," said Ferraz. "Go on your own, don't let him stop you. You want him to be happy?"

Hinode held her necklace in both hands and looked down at her device.

"I want everyone to be happy..."

"Prrsh, that's a big task," replied Ferraz.

"They raised us...Daito and me...the Church just wants to know we're okay."

"Then go and make them half-happy. That's the best move here. Even if you stayed by Daito's side you're not putting a smile on his face."

Hinode slowly nodded and then left the room. Ferraz was alone now. She sat back down and reached for her device.

"Subrosa, call Merlina. Let's see what she wants."

[UNDERSTOOD – CALLING NOW]

A screen appeared with only a basic muted background showing the logo for the Time Space Administration Bureau as Ferraz waited for her sister to answer. She sat there, not looking forward to speaking with her sibling.

Merlina Delahaye answered and her image filled the screen. Like her sister, she had black hair, though she kept it in a more classic style versus Ferraz's alternative look. Aside from different eye color, the similarities were enough to see they were related.

"Heeeeey, Ferraz, been a long time," said Merlina. She spoke completely normal - not a hint that anything was wrong between them or ever had been. Ferraz was used to this. Either the denial was so strong that Merlina would keep this up forever, or she really didn't think there was an issue in the first place. Ferraz still remembered, though, and her to-the-point responses were an attempt to end this call as soon as possible.

"What's going on?" asked Ferraz.

"Ah, oh, nothing much, been enjoying the weather recently – got us out of the house, we saw some friends for lunch, and oh! We saw one of your old acquaintances at the store the other day-"

"I meant 'why are you calling'?"

"Oh, hah, Ferraz, always trying to push me along! Well, earlier today I opened another box of Mom's stuff from the attic."

At the mention of their mother, both Delahayes turned more solemn.

"Oh?" Ferraz asked.

"Yeah," Merlina responded. "Some of this is old, and I'm pretty sure some of this is yours as well. Old drawings and stuff from school that I'm pretty sure aren't mine. So, I'm hoping you can come by again and see what you want to keep or what I can get rid of."

"Right, right. How's the cleanup effort going otherwise?"

"Good, good. I know it's taken a while; something like this is not something you can do easily. Everything I find just…reminds me of her again."

Ferraz slowly exhaled and looked away. 'That's why I left' is what she wanted to say but didn't.

"Yeah," she finally added. "I'll try and make it."

"Good," said Merlina. "You can actually help me out some."

It felt like a dagger stab after the conversation they'd just had, but Ferraz tried not to show it. With another sigh, she just looked back at the screen.

"Bye, Merlina."

"Bye Ferraz."

The call ended and the screen faded away. Ferraz let out a heavy sigh.

* * *

Nemelendelle

After making sure their friend could join them, Bathory and Negati headed home. They had just finished tidying up the place when the doorbell rang. Negati opened the door, and there were two people standing on the front porch. There was a man who was the same age as the Kardenises, Arin Vesceron, who stood tall with a plain expression on his face. He had short brown hair, and his eyes drifted down half a foot or so to meet Negati's. Next to him was a figure who looked like a young woman, with longer dark-brown hair that fell to the middle of her back. However, she also had two fox-like ears atop her head that twitched from the breeze and she also had a fox's tail poking out from the back of her clothes. Her name was Asana, and she was Arin's familiar.

"Negati, hi!" said Asana as she stepped forward into a hug. She held Negati tightly and lingered on for a couple seconds.

"Ahh, hey you two," said Negati. "Glad you could make it."

Asana released Negati and stepped inside, hugging Bathory next. Arin followed in silently and Negati shut the door behind him. She greeted him and he just nodded without any change in emotion on his face.

"So, you said someone real important wanted to talk to us?" asked Asana.

"Right," said Negati. "Take a seat and we'll get set up."

She motioned the foxgirl over to the couch, which Asana bounded over to. Her master had removed his shoes and was going to follow when Bathory pulled him aside.

"Hey, Arin," he whispered, "I didn't want to say too much over our call but I figured you should know. Fate's here to talk to us about Siba."

Arin stared at Bathory, his features still unchanging.

"Okay," he said.

"I just wanted it to be clear now in case…you…I don't know…that scares you at all…"

"Bathory, we both know I will not be scared." He said monotone.

"Yeah, I…just…just in case…okay, let's go."

He knew his worry would just echo off his friend's ambivalent features. It was partly said to try and reassure himself. Bathory and Arin went to the couch, where Negati was already sitting. Asana glanced at her master to try and figure out the seating situation, and Arin responded by cocking his head towards the seats while he stepped behind the couch. Asana nodded and sat on one side of Negati while Bathory sat on the other side. He raised his right arm, holding the dark green gem in his hand.

"Aphelion, call Fate. We're all here."

[UNDERSTOOD – INITIATING CONTACT]

The device projected a screen in front of the group as they waited for Fate to answer. Asana fidgeted in the seat and her ears moved around as well.

"Um…so, this is the Fate who helped you all, right?"

"Correct," said Negati. "So you better be on your very best behavior when speaking to her."

Asana's ears stood up straight.

"I will, I promise! I won't let Mister Arin or you two down."

Bathory laughed softly.

"She's nice. You've got nothing to worry about."

Then, the call went through and Fate's image filled up the screen. She still had on her black Enforcer uniform.

"Ahh, Bathory, I'm glad you could get everyone together."

"Yeah, fortunately we're still pretty close by," he responded.

Fate scanned the group, seeing Bathory and Negati and recognizing Arin behind them. She looked at the fourth person in the group with slight confusion.

"But I don't think we've met before, Miss…"

"Hi Enforcer Fate!" cried Asana. "I'm Asana. Nice to meet you."

"She is my familiar," Arin clarified. "You have not met her before as I only acquired her in the time since we last spoke."

Bathory coughed awkwardly at the blunt word choice. He knew Arin had no malice behind it, but Bathory always had to take a minute to readjust to the man's condition.

"Well, I'm happy you could join us," said Fate. "This news is mainly for Arin and the others but it will possibly concern you as well."

"So Fate," said Bathory, "You mentioned this is about Siba?"

"Your home world, yes. Have any of you kept in touch with the planet?"

"Not me," answered Negati. "I tried to put that all behind me as best as I could."

"I think that goes for all of us," said Bathory.

Fate paused. Her gaze drifted downward.

"A rebellion is currently happening on your planet's capital. Their Bureau is in danger of losing."

The three sitting mages looked on in disbelief.

"W…what?" asked Bathory. "What do you mean?"

Fate projected another screen, and she began pressing her fingers on this one like a keypad.

"Take a look at some of the images we've received. This is all continuing as we speak."

Several pictures formed on the screen and expanded to fill a section of it. The images showed Bureau mages versus angry mobs gathering and fighting back with improvised weapons or standard citizen-grade devices. Other pictures showed the aftermath of those battles – empty street with damage obvious on the building facades or any vehicles that were caught in the fray. Smoke billowed out from a lit fire in one picture, drifting across the rest of the landscape that showed Bureau mages trying to organize below.

Bathory, Negati, and Asana stared at the images in shock. Their mouths hung open, stunned at the pictures from the city streets.

"Oh no!" said Asana. "That's horrible!"

"Siba Capital…" whispered Bathory. "what happened to it?"

"Is that your home?" asked Asana. "Siba Capital?"

"Mine and Arin's, yes. Negati's from across the planet. But…"

"If it's this strong in the Capital, then everywhere else could be affected too," said Negati.

Behind the three of them, Arin watched on. He recognized the seriousness of the images but they produced no worry, fear, disbelief or other emotion in his brain.

"I see this is just as much of a shock to you as it is to us," said Fate. The pictures shrunk down again and she was back on screen.

"Yeah," answered Bathory. "This never happened when we were on Siba. There were incidents. There were problem areas. But no, it never got like that. We always maintained control."

"And that control is slipping," said Fate. "Something needs to be done. The Midchildan Bureau has decided to step in and send a team to negotiate with Siba to determine what we need to do. At the moment, the team will consist of myself, Commander Hayate Yagami, and two of her knights – Signum and Vita."

Negati started to laugh under her breath.

"Oh, they're not going to listen to you, Fate."

"I understand that. I remember the animosity Siba showed towards our Midchildan system, and I saw that is still the case during Hayate's preliminary talk with them. I had the thought that perhaps this is where you could assist us."

"What do you mean?" asked Arin.

"You three are Siban natives, born and raised. Perhaps you could assist us as diplomats for our discussion and bridge the gap between our planets."

Bathory breathed deeply and sighed.

"Not if Parkensine's still there. If he's running their Bureau –"

"He is not. He stepped down, and Siba has a new General. General Alcyone. Do you know her at all?"

Bathory paused, trying to remember how much he knew about that name. He looked back at Arin for support.

"Alcyone…She gave a couple speeches I was there for but that was really it…you remember anything, Arin?"

"I do not remember direct acquaintance with her but yes, she did oversee the expansion of the Breach Team divisions during our tenure."

"Okay, yeah. She was higher ranking but not at the very top. Not then, anyways."

"The point is," added Negati, "a new General might mean a group that doesn't wish Bathory were dead, right?"

"That's the hope," said Fate. "But along with the discussions, there is a real possibility that Midchilda may need to get involved if Siba cannot win this battle. Would you be willing to fight for your home world once again?"

There was a long pause after that question. That was the heart of the matter right there. Would Bathory want to go back to the planet that betrayed him and cast him out? He served from childhood through his teenage years, fighting for the Bureau and building his identity as a distinguished officer and member of one of Siba's elite Breach Teams. All that, and then a misunderstanding sent him running for his life across the planet, hunted down by the Siban Bureau as his former teammates were irreparably broken for daring to support him. One was dead by Former General Parkensine's hands and the other stood behind him at this moment, a continuing reminder of what the Bureau did to cover up its actions. It took a Midchildan Enforcer powerful enough to pull Bathory from Siba's grip to give him hope that he still had a future.

That same Enforcer was right now waiting to see if the former Sibans would want to return.

It should have been a simple rejection, but there was more to it than that. More than just the bare facts were pulling at Bathory and Negati's hearts. Siba was still home after all. There was beauty in the cities and the country in between. People – humans – still lived in those cities. Their Bureau's control over the citizens did not change that these were people who wanted to live in safety and comfort and didn't wish to live or die alone.

In hindsight, Siba's policies left a rotten taste in the mages' mouths. Compared to Midchilda's democracy and forgiveness, Siba's controlling rule and punishing retaliation was impossible to bear. On a planet that shied itself away from Midchilda's influence, children grew up being told what to think and being rewarded for doing so. Midchilda's policies made no sense, allegedly. Murderers were pardoned, combat cyborgs were integrated into society and not dismantled, and the entire system only worked as it did due to the Aces enforcing it. The more Siba could stand on their own, the better.

In Bathory's mind, it was the idea of coming back as a representative of Midchilda now, fighting to achieve peace on Siba and then keeping it with Midchilda's ideals. The people would kick and scream, from the officers to the common citizens, but if Midchilda kept offering a hand then eventually the people would relent. It was the idea that they'd discover everything they were missing that gave Bathory the spark - the idea - that Siba could be redeemed as he was.

He looked back at the screen.

"Yes, I would."

The other three looked over at him.

"Wow," said Negati. "You would?"

"Yes. I wouldn't be alone, would I? I'd have Fate's group as well. And I'd have you guys, right?"

Negati laughed again, shaking her head.

"With an answer like that, how could I say no? I'm thinking the same thing – I'm different now than I was back then. This will be different than it was back then. It's not me alone against the Bureau as they whittle me down like they did. I learned a few things and I want them to see me now. I'd never go back there on holiday, but I can't sit here and look at what you showed us and think it's someone else's problem. If Siba needs us, then I'm still ready to fight."

Bathory was smiling now. He looked at the other two that had yet to answer.

"Arin? Asana?"

The foxgirl went first.

"If we can save those people, then we need to try!"

"We should intervene in the possibility of further unhappiness," answered Arin. "To avoid doing so would be immoral."

"Well Fate, there's your answer," said Negati. "We're willing."

The Enforcer smiled.

"Good. Midchilda is hoping to deploy within the next few days. I will get you officially assigned to Hayate's team and you will meet us on Midchilda soon."

"Great," said Negati. "I can't wait to see you again. It's been a pleasure, Fate."

Fate nodded and laughed softly.

"The pleasure is all mine. Thank you."

The two sides ended their call and the house on Nemelendelle was quiet for a couple seconds more. The former Sibans all summarized internally what they had discussed and the new mission before them. Asana was simply pausing and waiting for discussion to continue. She sat with a focused look on her face, her tail waving back and forth behind her. Eventually, she jumped in anyways.

"So…you're going back home. That's good."

"Right," said Bathory. "Siba Capital. Home."

"How exciting! Do you have any friends from there you want to see?"

"Have we tried contacting anyone since we came here? I don't think anyone came to mind."

"Bathory's incident ensured that we lost any acquaintances who were on our side," clarified Arin.

Bathory's head fell briefly and he sighed more sadly than before. He quickly looked up again.

"My dad's still in Siba Capital. I haven't seen him or heard from him since my attempted reintegration. I still try calling every so often, but he doesn't pick up. Still, if he's there, then he can meet you, Asana. And Negati – if he never listens to my messages, he doesn't know about us."

His wife just shook her head and smiled.

"Stubborn man, from what it sounds like."

"I was his prodigal son on the Bureau when he could no longer fight. He gave me Aphelion and pushed me as hard as he could. When Siba's opinion of me changed, so did his. And I don't think it's ever recovered."

Bathory's focus drifted away from the scene. Negati tried to counter that, reaching out and rubbing his back softly.

"Hopefully you can see him. You're going home, after all."

Arin crossed his arms.

"I am just wondering what the pictures did not show."

"That's something to wonder as well," replied Negati. "But we need to know. For Siba's sake, we need to know."

* * *

 _We all know why you are still hanging on to this._  
 _Either to Run away from your family or to be_  
 _something you can no longer be. I think maybe time has_  
 _caught up with you and it's time to get your_  
 _priorities straight. And to take what you've learned_  
 _and pass it down. And those old men, they lied to us._  
 _What happens on the road always comes home._

Coalesce _\- What Happens on the Road Always Comes Home_


	3. Part of Something Greater

**Author's Notes:** I should mention here as well that all four of my stories are named after songs by my favorite band ever, **Neurosis**. Godfathers of post metal, blending captivating soundscapes and crushing heaviness together perfectly. End of the Harvest is a song off their Times of Grace album. Along with the title working perfectly for the 'ending' story in my series, the actual song is a banger as well and you all should check it out. They're touring this summer with Converge - another great band that I will definitely be pulling from for this story in the darker moments.. Heh, they're actually starting the tour with Amenra as well so it's like a perfect concert for me but Amenra's only playing on their West Coast stops and I don't live out there. Hmm, how much are plane tickets to California if I book them now...?

* * *

 **Chapter 3 - Part of Something Greater**

* * *

 _One more step  
It's here waiting for you  
Now go slow, take your time_

 _Celebrating  
For the one so free  
You lost your way -  
No one held you back from me_

 _How do you all speak with a lying tongue?  
How do we all sleep with a dying sun?_

 _Are we waiting for the savior -  
Someone to heal this or erase us_

Karnivool - _New Day_

* * *

Siba

Light was fading fast on another day for Siba Capital. The sun, nearly clipped by the horizon, streaked only over the tops of the buildings leaving most of the city shadowed. Outside, there was little activity. The rush of afternoon traffic had faded and only intermittent motors roared down the street.

Dancer sat by a window in the bedroom of a near-featureless apartment. She looked away from the plain walls of the room towards the world outside. It wasn't much to see; a row of bland, featureless buildings opposite the road that were built for the same purpose was the highlight of the show. It was something though to distract her momentarily from her current worry.

Along with her, there was little else with her but there was a bed nearby – a cheap frame with a plain mattress on it and a thin blanket over that. It wasn't the comfiest experience, but the woman currently laying on it probably didn't care. She had been frozen in one position, laying firmly on her back, but now she groaned softly and turned her head, ruffling the blanket with some of her teal-green hair.

Dancer heard Dreamer and looked over. Dreamer slowly opened her eyes and they met those of her friend.

"Good afternoon, Lova," said Dancer.

Lova smiled.

"Good afternoon, Lucra."

In the presence of just each other they felt safe using their actual names instead of relying on their codenames. Dancer was actually named Lucra Kern, and Dreamer was actually Lova Somna. Lova had awoken but she still felt exhausted from her magic use. She reached up to grip the blanket but did little more.

"Is it really that late?" she asked.

"It is. You were out for a while."

"But we did a lot today."

"We did. Everyone saw what the Bureau was trying to do."

Lova felt the strength to throw off the blanket and sit up. As she did, the bedframe creaked under her. She shut her eyes and rubbed her head with her hand.

"I just wish I could control this better," she said. "I want to do more, but it takes so much out of me so quickly."

"You're a natural," said Lucra.

"Might be. But I'm a natural who can only learn from myself."

She remembered back to the talk she'd had with that Bureau officer at the protest line. She could never fight for or with the Siban Bureau because her criminal record barred her from doing so. She was in Siba's system under enough types of identification – DNA, eye scan, fingerprint scan and more – that she would be caught and revealed no matter how she tried to avoid it. The only thing she could do was use fake names with people where that was all that was needed. That's how she and Lucra had a bare-bones apartment where the ceiling sometimes leaked and the walls were thin enough to hear everything around them. It was shelter and a place to recover. It wasn't meant to be a home.

What that meant though was there was no mentor she could go to for help. There was no team she could join who would be celebrated for their heroism. She had only her fellow outcasts, fighting against a Bureau that had no place for them. She looked over at one of those outcasts, one she'd bonded with closely.

"I saw the eye again."

"Oh? Your 'Eye of Belka', right?"

"Right."

"Does it do anything? Does it talk to you?"

Lova shook her head and looked downwards.

"I couldn't even tell you what it looks like. I don't interact with it. I just…I know it's there. It's a feeling. I can't tell you more."

Lucra sighed.

"But did it like what we did today?"

Lova smiled and laughed softly.

"Yes, it did."

Lucra brought her arms up, looking down at the metallic limbs. They were normal length and had the correct joints but they were nowhere near a perfect reflection of the human body. They were bulky, with several parts that had rough edges and slight misalignments when going from one segment to another. Especially in the hand and finger region, the crude mechanisms offered little dexterity and control aside from a tightly close fist or an open palm. The creator of these enhancements knew enough and no more than that.

For Lucra, they were still better than keeping the two paralyzed limbs like she would have had otherwise. Still, they were obvious unless hidden and with the Siban Bureau's policy on 'transhuman enhancements', that made her an outcast as well. Most people who willingly get these enhancements were already citizens of the seedy underground looking to get an advantage over people who were only human. As such, these arms came with the side effect of delivering powerful magic-backed strikes even if Lucra was not an amazing mage otherwise.

Her newest concern though were the jagged cuts on the outside of them where that ground mage's sword had struck against them. Lucra flexed the elbow and hand joints again, worried the arms were less responsive than they were earlier.

"I don't want these to break," she said. "I don't know how much fighting I can do. But if I can't fight, I can't protect you. And if I wasn't protecting you…"

Lova reached over and put her hand on one of Lucra's.

"Lucra, it's fine," she said. "I'm happy you're protecting me."

The two exchanged a silent glance before Lucra looked down at her hand.

"How does that feel?" she asked.

"What?"

"How does that machine feel to you?"

Lova smiled.

"Lovely," she replied.

Lucra breathed in and kept staring down, eyes narrowing.

"I wish I could feel you."

The airy woman stood out of bed, pulling Lucra up and hugging her tightly. Lucra carefully brought her arms up and put them around her partner, making sure not to press too tightly. Lova rested her head on Lucra's and they both smiled.

"I'm not going anywhere without my hero."

The moment was interrupted by the sound of someone stomping up the flight of steps in the building, walking down the hall and entering the place at least two doors over, which could still be heard easily through the thin walls.

"Take as much time as you need to get ready again," said Lucra. "I'll ask around and see what the TSAB might be doing next."

Lova released the hug and Lucra followed. The light-green-haired woman sat back on the bed before looking back up at her partner.

"Ah, I may have a special mission for you, Dancer."

Lucra smiled back.

"Yes, Dreamer?"

"I may be hungry soon. Could you please get both of us something to eat?"

"I can do that. Sit tight; I'll be back soon."

Lova laid back down on the bed, her body begging to have some more time to recover. Lucra put on another oversized jacket and headed across the bare floor to leave.

* * *

Midchilda

Asana stared out the window of the train at the sights around her. On the ride from the spaceship port that welcomed her group to Midchilda to the station where Fate would meet them, the foxgirl knelt on her seat and looked out the window behind it. She 'ooed' and 'awed' at the various things she saw, having the greatest reaction to the Midchilda Ground Headquarters building that loomed over the rest of the city.

Bathory, Negati, and Arin sat next to her. The Kardenis couple looked out with a more muted remembrance and Arin just sat plain-faced, focus drifting lazily with mild interest. His familiar's antics drew a bit of attention from some of the other passengers.

"First time here?" a woman asked the group.

"Her first ever, our first in a while," answered Negati.

"And what's the special occasion?"

The four were all in their TSAB Ground Forces uniforms, which probably should have been a tip off but Negati continued the small talk politely.

"Work. We're meeting about a new assignment."

"Ahh. Well, enjoy your stay."

The train began slowing down as it reached the next exit. This was the group's stop, so when the train halted they checked they had their bags again and stood by the doors. When they opened, the group made their way outside to the small plaza in front of the station where Fate said she would meet them.

There was no fancy celebration or parade for their arrival, and that was fine. Bathory liked that that wasn't the case. Though he was keeping a positive attitude, he was still thinking back to the time he actually spent on Midchilda years ago and some of the trouble he dragged people into. The fact that nobody specifically noted his face was a good thing.

The group looked around for a yellow-haired woman in a black Enforcer outfit. They saw her, but they also saw she had her back turned to them and was talking to a woman with short red hair accompanied by a group of kids. As the group from off-planet stepped closer, the red-haired woman noticed them and pointed them out to Fate. Fate turned around and greeted them all.

"Ahh, hello again-" she started. Negati had been holding herself back but when Fate actually addressed her in person again, she couldn't stop herself from springing forward and practically jumping on Fate to hug her tightly. Fate felt herself get crushed by the powerful grab, and as Negati rambled on about she was so happy and then took her storage device out to get a picture of them both, Fate just kept up a smile and tried not to look too pained.

The others stood behind her and Bathory lightly guided Negati out of Fate's personal space.

"Thank you, Fate," he said. "It's really great to be here again."

"Yeah, wow!" said Asana. She was still looking around, her ears twitching excitedly with all the sights she was taking in. "This is really where you live?"

"Still," continued Bathory, "I hope we're not interrupting anything." He glanced at the group of girls again and the woman next to them. That person looked very familiar to him, but he couldn't quite make that thought go any further.

"No, no, you're not interrupting us," said Fate. "Actually, it might be good to introduce you – do you remember Vivio?"

One of the girls, who had light hair but then had two different colors of eyes – green for her right and red for her left – raised her hand energetically.

"Hiya!" she said.

Bathory and Negati nodded while Asana excitedly waved back.

"Yeah, I remember" said Negati. "You definitely grew in the last couple years."

Vivio struck a confident pose as the red-haired woman next to them spoke up.

"And what about me? Don'cha remember?"

Bathory and Negati looked, but Negati was having the same trouble that her husband was having. When they floundered for a couple seconds, the woman filled in herself.

"Nove! Nove Nakajima! I saw you guys out when you left."

"Ohhh, okay," said Negati. "Yeah, hi, good to see you."

Both of them remembered now – and remembered the altercations they had gotten in with her and her family. For Bathory, the memories added briefly to the worry that there was still some prepared guilt trip waiting around the corner. Negati never had as poor an altercation with Nove as Bathory did, but she and Bathory only remember Nove being various levels of pissed with them every time they were together. Her looking pleasant and comfortable with them was a new experience – but a welcome one definitely.

"And I should introduce you to the rest of the group," she said. "This is Corona Timil, Rio Wesley, Vivio Takamachi – well, duh, she just – eh, anyways, Einhart Stratos, and the newest prodigy of the Nakajima Gym's strike arts team, Fuuka Reventon!"

If the girls were in the same order left-to-right as Nove introduced them, then Rio gave a bright and energetic greeting back while Corona and Einhart's were more subdued and Fuuka seemed caught off guard by the compliment. She quickly clasped her hands and bowed to the group of adults.

"Ah, th – thank you, I - I mean welcome."

"You don't need to be so nervous, Fuuka" said Einhart

"Y…yes teacher…"

Negati looked on and crossed her arms. She smirked.

"So… your own gym and a strike arts team, huh?"

"Right," said Nove. "These girls are training for the DSAA Winter Cup Tournament. And I mean, I don't know if you saw any of the Inter-Middle tournament last year but you're looking at the Under-15 World Champion here and the rest aren't slouches either."

Einhart smiled wider when mentioned and Rio struck an action pose to cap off that sentence.

Negati pulled one of her sleeves back a couple inches and channeled her mana. On her hand and then down the part of her arm that was shown, several bold red lines of magic formed on her skin.

"I know a thing or two about strike arts myself. One of you, show me your form."

Fuuka's friends unanimously looked at her and started cheering her on. Fuuka seemed caught off guard once again but with enough encouragement, she nodded and stepped forwards. She stood in between her group and the group of adults and faced back in between them. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, brought up her fists and got in stance. She opened her eyes and she looked very stern and focused. She punched forwards quickly before there was another pause. After that was a combo of punches, and Fuuka continued her routine balancing her strikes and the pauses in between the same way she was balancing power and control. After one combo, she quickly leaned forwards and brought her knee up at the perfect time to surprise an opponent before her leg went back down and the punches continued. The entire time, she never broke her concentration, aiming in the exact places she aimed every time she did this training. After a few more combos, Fuuka was done, and she brought her fists back towards her body while releasing another breath.

The cheers from her friends started up quickly and Fuuka bowed once again. Negati nodded.

"You're training them well, Nove."

Nove smiled and bowed lightly as well.

"I appreciate it."

"So what is happening next?" asked Arin

Fate turned back to the Nemelendelle group and moved the conversation forward.

"I know we set up hotel rooms for your group, however Nove has an open room in her apartment tonight and she was interested in housing some of you."

"Right," said Nove. "Normally Fuuka takes the spare room but she's sleeping over at the Takamachi's place tonight. Some of my sisters are coming over for dinner and I thought it might be nice of Bathory and Negati to join us. If you're just here for a night, it might be good to do some catching up. And sorry, but…ah…I've only got two other seats at the table and I never crossed paths with the rest of you."

"Oh, wow!" said Asana. She turned to address Bathory and Negati. "You two should definitely hang out with your friends."

At the mention of 'friends', the Kardenis couple laughed awkwardly.

"Ah, yeah, friends…" muttered Bathory.

"Asana and I will stay at our scheduled hotel," said Arin. "That it the original plan and so that is my expectations. Our only requirement is to meet with Commander Yagami at the expected time tomorrow."

"I'll go wherever Mister Arin goes," said Asana.

"Right then," said Fate. "We are waiting for Nanoha to arrive and then we will depart."

Fuuka took that cue to ask Vivio something grave that was on her mind.

"Umm…so Vivio…is Nanoha really as scary as everyone says?"

"Hmm?" asked Vivio. "Is something wrong?"

Fuuka's turquoise eyes drifted about as she tried to find what to say.

"I – I – I just, I haven't actually met her yet, but everyone knows about her, the 'White Devil' thing – is that real?"

Vivio just smiled and was about to reassure Fuuka that Nanoha was really nice when Nove looked down the plaza and noticed something the girls didn't – Nanoha Takamachi herself walking towards them.

"Ohhh, she's the meanest, toughest person you'll ever meet," she said.

Fuuka's eyes widened and she looked at the others with fear.

"R – really?"

"Oh, yeah," Nove continued. "This one time, I pushed Vivio too hard and made her cry. Next thing I knew I woke up in the hospital – a week later!"

Fuuka gasped and almost started quaking in her shoes. By this point, everyone but her had seen that Nanoha was approaching. Corona was about to de-escalate when Rio interrupted her and pushed it one step further.

"So you better make sure you're on her good side, Fuuka. Or else…you're a goner."

Nanoha stopped behind Fuuka. Her auburn hair was tied up in a ponytail on the side of her head that draped down her left side. She crossed her arms and scanned the group with her eyes.

"Is someone spreading rumors about me again?"

Fuuka spun around rapidly, staring up with eyes as wide as they could go. Her hands clasped to her sides and she tried to sputter anything out.

"A - ah, Mis – Miss Takamachi, I –"

All at once, her eyes rolled back and she fell backwards to the ground below. Whatever humor the other girls were getting from this was gone and they all gathered around the stunned girl, trying to wake her again.

"Fuuka!" Corona cried. "Fuuka, wake up!"

If one looked closely enough, they could almost see the stars circling above Fuuka's eyes. She moaned and groaned but that was about it.

Nanoha's eyes settled on Fate.

"And you didn't attempt to stop them?" she asked playfully.

"I also didn't contribute," Fate replied.

Nove stepped over to make sure Fuuka wasn't seriously hurt. When Nove gave the signal that everything was fine, Nanoha went over to Fate and the group from off-planet.

"Hayate told me about your mission. Midchilda heard about Siba?"

"It looks bad. Midchilda needs to intervene."

"It sounds awful. Is their TSAB really so scared of their own people?"

"The people were scared of the Bureau first. It's only recently they were able to be heard."

"I should do something. If there's really a war going on then-"

"Nanoha," Fate quickly interrupted, "I don't want us putting ourselves in danger. This mission isn't supposed to be that. We're only bringing who we are to show the severity of our position. If we sent anyone else, Siba wouldn't even let them on the planet."

Nanoha paused. She let Fate finish, and then she slowly nodded.

"Okay. I just don't want anyone getting hurt while I'm here on Midchilda."

"We'll be fine," said Fate. "Keep cheering Vivio on. Keep supporting her. I won't be gone long. I want to watch her in that tournament as much as you do. Hayate, Vita, Signum and I, as well as our special guests, will handle this quickly and safely."

Nanoha approved of the answer and she addressed the rest of the group with a smile.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" she asked.

"Yes it has, Captain" said Bathory.

"And you're still on Nemelendelle from what I've heard?"

"Correct," said Negati. "We went there for our programs and realized we wanted to help people the same way you all helped us. All the time we get new faces on the planet and we want them to know they're not alone."

Nove called over that Fuuka was standing again and the two Aces went to break off the conversation. Before they did, Bathory caught their attention one more time.

"Hey, Nanoha, Fate, I know we never really talked before when I left Midchilda, so I just want to thank you again for saving me and giving me another chance. Especially after what I did here. You should have had enough of me."

"Never," said Nanoha. "We never thought that."

"You made those decisions yourself," said Fate. "Your decision to change was all yours."

"Right," said Bathory. "The fact you tried so hard to reach me still was something I just couldn't appreciate until afterwards. Though, I will say, if part of you still wants to blast me unconscious, Nanoha, then I understand."

The air mages shared a laugh and Nanoha shook her head.

"It's in the past. Enjoy your stay on Midchilda."

Now, she and Fate made it over to Vivio and her crew. Fuuka's second meeting with Nanoha went much better, and any butterflies that remained were quelled with the rest of the group's support. Nove went over to the group after that.

"Should we get going?" she asked.

"Sure," said Bathory. "Arin, Asana, we'll meet tomorrow."

"Okay!" said Asana. She turned to keep heading away from the station and she bounded forwards as her master followed behind. Heading the other way, Nove led Negati and Bathory to the parking lot.

"So, now that I roped some of you in I'm going to be honest – you're gonna need to help with the cooking."

"Oh," stammered Negati. "You couldn't do it on your own?"

"There's so much I need to make! Subaru has at least three stomachs alone!"

The Kardenises chuckled nervously again.

"You're giving us shelter – it's only fair we help you out," said Negati.

* * *

They made their way to Nove's apartment and brought their luggage inside. Bathory and Negati only had a small case each with essential travel items and a couple sets of clothes. They assumed they'd mostly stay in uniform for the duration of the trip to Siba.

"Here's the spare bedroom," said Nove. "Try to find room so your stuff is separate from Fuuka's. Clean up, change, do whatever you need to do but I'll want you out in the kitchen before too long."

The Kardenises nodded and Nove left them alone. The spare room was very clean and orderly; Fuuka hadn't taken up the walls with many decorations and her belongings were neatly kept together. It seemed obvious though that if she really did live with her gym instructor then it was best she kept Nove happy. Bathory and Negati took out a set of clothes each and started changing.

"Wonderful place she has," said Negati.

"Agreed," added Bathory. "That gym she has must really be working out for her."

"Yeah, I need to ask about that. Crazy to think she's an entrepreneur like that. I never would've expected it."

"What would you have expected?"

"I don't know. But last time we saw them they were all living together under one big roof, and now they're all grown up!"

Bathory looked over at Negati, eyebrows furrowed in exasperation.

"Negati, they weren't children."

"I know, but there's a lot we missed. A lot to catch up with."

When the couple finished getting dressed, they walked out of the room and saw Nove in the kitchen, moving around and around setting up several different dishes. The two went to help her out and as Negati took one station she looked over at the other redhead.

"So…the Nakajima Gym, huh? How'd you get that?"

Nove chuckled and responded while keeping her focus on her current task.

"Well, you remember Vivio – the Sankt Kaiser, right? When she got a bit older and was ready to start developing her strike arts powers, I tried to learn that myself and help her out. At first we'd just go to the local parks to practice but once we started getting kicked out for…ahh…damaging the premises, I knew we needed a real space. It was just my luck that a gym in the city was being sold, and I figured if Vivio could do as well as she could with it, then it was a no brainer."

Then, she glanced slightly away and powered rapidly through the next sentence.

"Nanoha and Fate and Subaru and Mr. Nakajima maaaaaay have also helped me out with the money..."

Bathory looked down by the end of the counter and saw a framed picture of Nove with Vivio and several of her friends. Some of them were there at the station earlier, but there were some others he didn't recognize.

"And it's quite a popular spot from what it looks like. Vivio has a lot of friends there."

Nove smiled and returned to the conversation.

"Right. Her friends from St. Hilde, others she met from the tournaments, and some who just walked into our lives one day from out of nowhere. That's how we met Einhart – she showed up in Cranagan one day looking to fistfight the Kaiser. We get her to safety, she actually gets to know Vivio, and now they're best friends while she's the World Champion in the U15 rankings. Fuuka showed up one day not that long ago and I already know she's going to be special."

Negati smiled.

"It's a wonderful feeling when everything falls into place," she said.

"I know! Tell me, girl!" said Nove.

She put what she was preparing into the oven. Starting that, and talking a little break, she looked over at the two and continued, this time softer and more reflective.

"I was unsure for a while after we were first taken in by Mr. Nakajima. The Bureau was kind – well, most of them were – but we had no idea what our purpose was anymore. Cinque, Dieci and Wendi leaned on Subaru and Ginga for that, and I tried to as well, but I just couldn't believe what they were saying. Training Vivio and now her friends as well… That's something I can do. I'm happy with that."

She closed her eyes and sighed.

"And what I'm getting at is that I feel like I let some of that out on you two when you were here before."

Immediately the other two butted in together.

"No, no, no you weren't," said Negati. "No need to apologize."

"Yeah Nove, that wasn't on you," said Bathory. "I really didn't leave a good impression."

"I guess so," laughed Nove. "It's crazy how we're having an actual conversation. I was hoping you'd do well in the rehabilitation program and it looks like you made it through."

The couple laughed as well.

"We just needed some time away from Siba," said Negati.

"And now you're headed right back."

"Exactly. It's not lost on us. But you don't have to worry about us regressing. We're firmly on Midchilda's side in this argument."

"I'm not worrying. I wish there was something we could do to help, though a combat cyborg actually on that planet, from what I've heard, would blow their minds."

"It'd shake them out of their skin," said Bathory.

Nove chuckled one more time.

"Their whining and complaining – It'd be music, I tell ya."

The group resumed preparing dinner, and time flew by. The group had finished cooking and the Kardenises were setting the table when there was a knock on the door.

"Ah, perfect timing. That must be them," said Nove.

"Oh – do they know we're here?" asked Bathory.

"I let them know."

She went to the door and opened it. Subaru and Ginga were out in the hall, and Teana was joining them. After group's round of pleasantries, Subaru darted in and saw the other two dinner guests. She greeted them energetically with a wild wave and the couple from off-planet greeted her back. Bathory, however, seemed more hesitant than Negati.

"You having second thoughts?" she asked.

"Way past second," he replied.

They hadn't expected Subaru's friend to join in as well. It was a surprise that sent their minds jogging back through what they knew about the orange-haired girl. From their recollections, she'd been standoffish with them quite often, though like with Nove's case they had brought most of that onto themselves. Both had to hope that if they were nice tonight, the other three would be nice as well.

After some preliminary banter, Nove got her dishes to the table and sat everyone down. They filled their plates, dodging Subaru's attempts to fill her plate twice as high in the process. The small talk continued as the group talked about having to catch up with what everyone was doing. Nove briefed her sisters and Teana on what the other two knew so far, and after some discussion of Subaru's work as a lead with the Disaster Prevention Force, it drifted to Teana where it was revealed she was a full Enforcer now.

"Really?" asked Negati. "That's excellent. So that meant you were only a Junior Officer before?"

"Right. I didn't have the official title yet. Though you gotta admit, I wore the uniform well."

"You did, definitely. Very professional."

"She's highly distinguished, even so soon," added Ginga.

"Yep!" beamed Subaru. She was sitting next to Teana, and the blue-haired girl reached over to put her arm around Teana's shoulders. She pulled the girl in and her grip meant that Teana was displaced quite suddenly. "My Teana can be your worst enemy if you get in her way, but deep down inside I know she's quite the- "

"SUBARU!" yelled Teana, pushing away. "Don't you – no, you keep your hands to yourself. Keep them on your chair, and don't move them. Got it?"

Even as Subaru obediently kept her hands on her own legs, she shut her eyes and tried to play innocent.

"Ehhhh, Tia, I didn't do anything…"

Tiana just grunted in response.

"Idiot…"

"So Wendi couldn't make it?" asked Ginga.

"No. I checked with her but she had other commitments."

Nove smirked and shook her head.

"She'd probably just bug me the whole time about when N2R is gonna do something again. Sorry Wendi, I have a tournament to train people for. You want action? Then you can wash all the towels with me at the end of the day, how about that?"

There was a lot going around that Bathory and Negati didn't understand but that was fine with them. They just waited while the conversation drifted all over and around.

"So Subaru," asked Teana, "how's Ix doing?"

Subaru brightened up once again, like her previous shaming never happened.

"Ah! Really good. I gotta make it over there again – I've just been so busy recently."

"She visits the gym sometimes to cheer her friends on," said Nove. "It's good for moral support on some of the rougher days. Especially if it gets too rough. Her powers really come in handy then…"

"So," said Teana, now addressing the other two guests, "what's been going on with you?"

"Nothing crazy," said Negati. "We're still with the ground forces. We're still on Nemelendelle."

"After we got through the program there, we knew how tough it felt for us – being so different from everything we knew – and we thought helping others like we were helped would be worth staying around," Bathory added.

"And so we stuck together, got through the program, got back on the Bureau, got on each other's' good side, got engaged…"

Negati quickly held her hand up to show her ring. Like the move was planned, Bathory flashed the band on his finger as well. Before Negati could continue, Subaru suddenly shrieked out in excitement, shutting her eyes tightly with a wide smile.

"Aiiiiiieeee, so cute! That's gonna be us one day, Tia!"

The orange-haired girl's face went positively red. As Ginga and Nove bother cracked a smile, Teana reacted rapidly.

"No, Subaru! That's – you – you get that out of your mind right now!"

She crossed her arms and stared at a faraway corner of the room.

"You better not be having any thoughts, Subaru…"

Ginga laughed lightly.

"I think she is, Teana."

"Ugh, I know she is…"

With another laugh, Negati finished what she was saying.

"We made some friends along the way, and we're happy with where we are."

As dinner went on, the conversation drifted around the table some more but soon the people were full and the table was cleared again. The group drifted into pockets as Nove talked with her sisters and Teana headed out to the balcony. After a minute, she was joined by Negati and Bathory. They looked out at the small section of Cranagan they could see. The sky, though night, was a haze of a dark blue-green from the ample city lights and the trio could see well out in front of them.

"I heard from Fate about your mission," said Teana.

"Going to Siba? Seems like it's the talk of the TSAB," said Bathory.

"Hayate leading, Fate assisting? The Bureau isn't joking with who they're sending."

"And a couple of random ex-pats," added Negati. "It's crazy to think we're part of this."

"Are you honored?" asked Teana.

"Of course. Working with Fate the first time around was an absolute dream. Siba tried to push the idea of the Aces away from us, but some of it still slipped through the cracks. Some of their influence still got a hold on the younger members of our Bureau. Mainly it was Nanoha that Siba disliked – this idea that she could hover daintily in the sky and invalidate the rest of your work if she decided to arrive. Show up and blow up – that was our insult. With Fate, it still felt like she got her hands dirty. She'd be fighting there alongside you."

The redhead rested her arms on the railing and sighed.

"Of course, that dream turned into a nightmare afterwards. She wouldn't 'do her job' and I let her get away with it. I turned into the enemy, and that's when you saw me the first time, years ago. Worn down from questioning, a complete pushover to any demand… it wasn't my best moment."

Teana closed her eyes and thought back to their prior encounter. Perhaps throughout the dinner she'd had recurring memories flitter through, but now she analyzed those in detail.

"When your group worked to kidnap Subaru, I hated you both from the bottom of my heart. You took Subaru's determination to prove you wrong and turned it against us. If I were on that mission to get her back, and we brought Bathory in without the problems that happened…heh, I don't think you want me to finish that sentence."

On the other side of Negati, Bathory looked down and sighed as well.

"There's a reason I've been keeping quiet…" he said.

"What I'm getting at is that I had second thoughts about coming tonight," Teana continued. "I know, I know, I watched you recover and you joined us at the Nakajima house and sounded convincing. You went off planet and we all went on our way too. Time passed. No reason to worry it'd be just like before. But when I heard we'd be meeting again…I couldn't quite get the memories out of my head."

Bathory was listening along, nodding.

"This whole day on Midchilda gives me the same worry. What will people say if they remember me? You, Fate, Subaru and her sisters…you were all directly hurt before. How can I prove I'm a different person?"

"Simple. You have a pleasant conversation with me and get me to trust you."

The trio smiled and then Teana glanced back inside the apartment at Subaru. The girl was still talking with Nove and Ginga, adding life to whatever topic they were discussing. Teana kept her focus on Subaru's energetic expressions and bright smile.

"As much as Subaru's rash behavior can catch me off guard, I trust the girl with my life. If she can sit across the table from you like nothing was ever wrong, then I figured I could too."

There was a brief pause in the Nakajimas' conversation and Subaru noticed Teana looking at her. The blue-haired cyborg waved energetically at her friend and Teana happily waved back. She turned away and faced out from the balcony again.

"I wish we could help on your efforts with Siba. It sounds like it'll be tough even with Fate and Hayate."

"Imagine a planet where every person on it is just like how Bathory and I used to be," said Negati, shaking her head. "You'd burst a blood vessel before an hour was up."

"I appreciate the offer," said Bathory, "but I don't want this to be your fight. Keep your head here in Midchilda with your friends and the people you love."

Teana nodded and stepped back from the railing.

"I'll still be rooting for you."

She turned and went inside, meeting up with Subaru and Ginga. It seemed like the three were preparing to leave, and so Negati and Bathory moved back in as well to see them off. With several goodbye statements and another large wave from Subaru, the three went into the hallway again and Nove bid them farewell. After cleanup and a bit more conversation, there was soon nothing more to do than wind down and get ready for the day tomorrow.


	4. Diplomats

**Chapter 4 - Diplomats**

* * *

Midchilda

The initial plan given to Bathory's group was that the Midchildian diplomatic party would travel by spaceship to Siba. However, the group awoke to new orders. They would meet at the Ground Forces Headquarters to use the Bureau's private teleportation chambers.

Arin, Asana, Bathory, and Negati soon found themselves in a large elevator with Fate, climbing up the countless floors of the building. All were back in their uniforms – the light-and-dark brown coats of the Ground Forces for the visiting group and the black Enforcer uniform for Fate.

"Are we transporting straight to Siba?" Negati asked. "They do have pads to receive us. Siba isn't that backwater."

"No," answered Fate, "we are continuing with our travel plan. It's just that our ship would not have easily been able to use Midchilda's port for docking. It's hovering above the planet as we speak."

The elevator continued rising and Bathory watched the display as the floor numbers counted steadily towards their destination.

"Fate," he asked, "where is Hayate's group? Are they on board yet?"

"Not yet. They are waiting here for our arrival."

"So… when that door opens, who are we going to see?"

"Hayate, Signum, and Vita – oh, and their unison devices as well. Reinforce Zwei and Agito."

Bathory's throat suddenly felt dry. He swallowed, though that did little to soothe it.

"Okay, we're now mingling with some very important company. Any words of advice?"

The elevator slowed as it reached the teleportation chambers and Fate smiled lightly.

"Try to be on your best behavior. I wouldn't worry - You will fit right in."

The doors opened, showing the lobby to another floor of the Headquarters building. Fate noticed Hayate and her party and she walked over with her guests following behind. As she got close, Hayate went in and hugged her friend tightly. Bathory and Negati looked on at the one Ace they had never yet met – Commander Hayate Yagami, a woman with medium-brown hair where her bangs bundled up and fell down above her eyes and the back of her hair went down below her neck. She had two yellow bands wrapped parallel to each other around some of her hair on her left side and two red bands in an 'x' shape around some hair behind that. She wore the blue uniform of the TSAB Naval Division.

The rest of the group matched Fate's list and Bathory scanned his eyes over them. By Hayate was Reinforce Zwei, now the size of a doll and hovering in the air by her master. Behind them were two of the Wolkenritter, first Vita – the knight of the iron hammer, far shorter and younger-looking than the other woman – and then Signum, the taller flame knight with long, purple hair. By Signum's shoulder, another minitature doll-sized girl hovered about. Agito had crossed her arms and was looking sternly at the newcomers.

Hayate stepped back and as Fate's group stood in front of her, they bowed lightly and Arin addressed her.

"Commander."

"Welcome," said Hayate. "I'm glad to see you answered our call for assistance. Was it a nice trip here to Midchilda?"

"Excellent," said Negati, "and we're happy to be here."

"Good. I'm glad to finally meet you all. We never quite crossed paths when you were here before. Though it sounds like you have met Vita and Signum once or twice, correct?"

Bathory glanced over at the two knights and the unison device beside them. Though they all remembered the specific moments mentioned, Vita and Signum kept their faces professionally formal. Agito, however, glared at Bathory with a look that could have turned him to stone.

"Correct," answered Negati.

"By accepting this mission, you will be under my command for the duration of it, with an official role as Diplomats from the Administrated planet of Midchilda," said Hayate. "You will be reinstated into your prior positions upon completion of our mission…or upon abandonment of it if we shift to provide combat assistance to Siba. I hope that doesn't happen."

"Neither do we," added Negati. "We don't want to see our homeworld fall."

"And so I expect you to carry out our tasks with the highest priority. Diplomats Kardenis, Kardenis – heh, we can go to first names once we depart -, Vesceron, and his Familiar Asana, I welcome you to our team."

Bathory and Negati replied with muted thanks. Asana's tail twitched wildly back and forth at her excitement and her acceptance drowned the others' out.

"Rein," asked Hayate, "is our ship ready for us?"

"Yes, Miss Hayate!" cried the small white-haired girl. "We're ready to go."

Hayate nodded and looked around the entire group.

"Good. Follow me."

Hayate turned to walk towards the teleportation chambers and Fate followed. Signum and Vita lingered, following alongside the diplomatic group. Asana moved next to them and looked in awe at the knights.

"Wow," she said, "are you really the Vita and Signum that people talk about?"

"Depends," said Vita. "What do they say?"

"Oh, good things! Really good things! You're ancient warriors from the past, right?"

"It's more intricate than that," added Signum. "Perhaps Testarossa or Mistress Hayate herself could tell you."

"On that note, I'm sure it's been addressed but there may be some misconceptions about you on Siba," said Bathory.

"Hmm?" asked Signum. She glanced at Bathory out of the corner of her eye.

"Siba understands and knows what they want to. To them, the Wolkenritter are fierce warriors, returning Ancient Belkan to a universe that had been washed over by Midchilda. Many of us on the Siban Bureau looked up to you and wished we could meet you."

A very slight smile formed on Signum's face.

"I remember that was our conversation topic many years ago."

With that prompt, Agito spun around to face Bathory.

"I remember all of it, ya know!" the girl cried. "You never did apologize for being a jerk."

"Agito, drop it," said Signum. "He wouldn't be here if he didn't want to help."

"Right," said Bathory. "And if you remember, we blamed Hayate for keeping you away from us. She stuck you in the heart of Midchildian magic where you didn't belong. She won't be treated well on Siba."

"Don't worry, they ain't gonna put a single finger on her," boasted Vita.

"They think their voices will work fine…" said Negati.

The group reached a large room with a circular pad in the middle of it. In front of the pad was a female officer at a control station. Following Hayate and Fate's lead, the rest of the group assembled on the pad, with plenty of room still available for more people to stand. If this were the transportation pad, it had been obviously designed to send a lot of forces off-planet quickly.

"Ready, Commander?" asked the officer.

Hayate stood at the front of her group. She nodded.

"Ready!"

The officer in charge typed away on the holographic panel and soon the outer rim of the pad began to glow with the energy of the teleportation spell. A solid wall of energy formed up out of the rim and towards the ceiling, surrounding the group, and below them a Midchildan magic circle formed on the area of the pad. With it all, there was a sound like something charging up, growing in volume from a quiet murmur to a noticeable rumble. After a couple seconds of building, the spell went off and the group was teleported out of the room.

On a ship in space far above Midchilda, there was a nearly-identical room with a large transport pad as well. A spell formed on it and the group teleported in. Bathory and his group looked around, excited to even be on one of the Bureau Navy's ships, while Fate also glanced around. The exact setup of the room was very familiar to her – though not what she expected.

"Wait, Hayate, did you really..."

The brown-hair Commander formed a wide grin.

"I called in for one extra favor. If we're using a mobile base between our planets, I wanted someone to handle some of that for me. That, and we haven't hung out in forever!"

The door to the transport room opened and a man walked in. He had short dark-blue hair and wore the black uniform of the TSAB Executive branch. The ship staff who were present all stood at attention, and as the man made his way to the newly arrived group, the Midchildans did the same. Bathory, Negati, Arin and Asana followed along, though they glanced among themselves as neither of them recognized the man. He stopped in front of group and commanded their attention.

"Welcome," he said. "I am Admiral Chrono Harlaown and this is my ship, the Claudia."

* * *

Siba

Ferraz Delahaye sat in the train car as it rumbled its way down the tracks. She had the day to herself while Siba waited for Midchilda to arrive, and she decided she had to get home before she got busy with the Bureau's discussions. Her sister would say Ferraz was 'blowing her off' if that happened, and Ferraz would rather get one awkward moment out of the way now than fear the consequences of avoiding it.

She was out of uniform and wearing a jacket with a hood that she put over her head. The footage of the incident she'd been on the scene of had played multiple times since it happened and often included the short interview she had to give in the aftermath. Ferraz didn't want everyone recognizing her face, though it was inevitable that someone did. From the brief scan she did with her eyes when boarding the train, there were a couple people who lingered on her in recognition. They kept to themselves though and nobody made a scene. They weren't against the Bureau, or weren't rebellious enough to act on it, and they didn't deserve Ferraz's scorn.

Her childhood home was on the outskirts of Siba Capital in a satellite town that was founded separately long ago but was joined to the capital city as development on both expanded. Near the end of the train line, it was far away from the towering buildings and endless urban blocks into a place that was more spread out and open with tree clusters on either side of the rails. Ferraz looked out the window, watching the sun parse through the trees. There was a blue sky with patches of white clouds in it.

The train began to slow and Ferraz stood.

 _Here's where the train ride ends…screaming "is this your decision?"  
_

She kept her head down and her hands in her pockets as the doors opened and she departed. A bus line would get her from the station to her suburb and there were no altercations there either. Eventually, Ferraz was dropped off on her street and she finally looked up at her surroundings.

Houses lined the streets, all a uniform distance apart for each other, but this was nicer than the condensed housing in Siba Capital. There was more variety to the structures, more colors adorning the outsides, and trees planted along the yards that grew tall and cast shade across the lawns. It was quiet as well. That alone was somewhat uncomfortable to Ferraz who could always hear sirens in the distance somewhere from her apartment in the capital.

She started walking to her old house. It was just up the street and soon she could see the blue-gray exterior. Even among the peaceful surroundings she found it harder and harder to take another step. This visit was still something she'd have rather not done. Fragmented memories flashed through her mind – figures looming over her, pointed fingers often paralyzing her will, shame swallowing her completely – but she was an adult now and surely she could dance around all of that. She knew Merlina would.

Ferraz reached the front door. She pulled her hood down and knocked. A few seconds later, muffled footsteps came from inside the house and a woman pulled the door open.

"Ferraz," her sister said, "come on in."

Ferraz nodded and followed. She looked around at the inside of the house. It changed little across the years and most of the decorations that had been up since Ferraz was a kid were still there, however wherever floor space was available there were boxes taking it up with various artifacts from the last decades laying in them. As Ferraz stood in the entryway, Merlina walked over to a box on the dining room table she'd been looking at.

"So…" Ferraz said, "how are things?"

"Oh, it's...quiet. With mom gone, that's…quiet, that's how it is."

Though Ferraz put the hood down, her hands went rapidly back into the pockets of her jacket. She had the standby form of Subrosa in one pocket and it felt more comforting to have it within reach.

"Is it just you at the moment?" she asked. "Husband out?"

"Yeah, he's out for a few hours. But even if he were here, he knows he can't help much. All of this was my family's stuff – our family's."

Ferraz had shuffled over to her sister and Merlina looked up at her. She lowered her voice.

"Ferraz, I've been digging through forty years, all alone. How the hell can you just run away and leave this as my burden?"

Ferraz looked away for a moment.

"Merlina, please, I don't want a confrontation. I've told you – I don't feel safe here. There are things I'm keeping at arm's length to even be here now so let's get on with this while we can."

Merlina stared at her younger sister. Slowly, a smile began to form.

"Either way, better here than with the rest of your Bureau friends. I saw you on the news. People really aren't happy with the TSAB, are they?"

She patted Ferraz twice on the shoulder as she went to get the box she specifically wanted Ferraz to look through.

"We're doing what we can," said Ferraz.

"But is it enough?"

"We've kept things under control so far. We'll be able to."

"If you call that 'under control', Ferraz, then I'm calling myself 'the richest woman ever'."

Merlina brought the box over and set it on the table. It was full of old documents. She pulled out some papers that had markings all over them and handed them to Ferraz.

"I'm pretty sure these are yours."

Ferraz looked the first drawing over. There were several stick-figure smudges that she instinctively knew were supposed to be her and the other kids in the daycare she went to. She could hardly remember more than a few faces and names but it was a nice memory. The second drawing was of her, Merlina and their mother. Again they were all stick figures but Ferraz noticed the distance she'd added between herself and the other two and how small she had drawn herself compared to them. At this point, an uncomfortable feeling flew through the woman and she took a deep breath to fight back a nauseous feeling. Swallowing, she flipped to the third page.

It was another drawing that matched the previous two. The jagged, heavily-pressed crayon lines formed two figures. One was supposed to be Ferraz herself. The oval that was supposed to be her head had her black hair on top of it, uniform on both sides as it was then, and had two purple dots that were her eyes. Next to that figure was another one, drawn in black outline with a head that was more vertical than horizontal. Here, the entire head area was colored in black except for two white dots for eyes and then a large mouth that showed a full set of clenched teeth, unnaturally tall and wide even given the poor anatomy of the drawings. This figure towered over the girl next to it, and the girl had an obvious frown.

Ferraz's hands shook just looking at this. She shut her eyes and immediately more images came back to her mind. She thought of the many times her mother had yelled at her, sometimes towering over her as Ferraz cradled herself on the floor. Then she remembered a recurring nightmare where this shadowed figure with the wide-open eyes and bared teeth took the same place, always looming over her with whatever cruel intent it had. Ferraz couldn't remember this demon ever doing anything further, but she knew it was there to punish her.

Merlina leaned over and looked at the drawing.

"Wow, Ferraz," she said, "you were such a good artist. Very creative."

Ferraz's eyes shot open rapidly.

"This isn't some random creature. That's you. That's mom," she responded.

Merlina rolled her eyes and dug back through the box.

"Geez, get therapy much?" she mumbled.

That struck a nerve in Ferraz's mind. She reached out and gripped her sister's arm tightly.

"Merlina, this is exactly what I knew you were gonna do. I want an answer, right now. Tell me, why did mom only ever yell at me? Were things really always my fault all the time?"

"I – I mean, I don't know why that's my problem. Ask yourself."

"No, she never got mad at you, always me. Every little thing I did was scrutinized, and everything you did was perfect. Does that make any sense to you?"

"Ferraz, not again. Stop lying. And besides, look at us right now. I'm trying to get stuff done and you're having a panic attack over here. Maybe that explains things?"

"I'm not having a – no, you don't remember? You always had her back too, even when she passed your problems onto me."

"Grow up! How are you still like this? You got all the magic power, you got your own special device, you'd think you could be tougher on the inside."

"Don't deflect me, Merlina. Stop deflecting!"

Ferraz slammed her hands down on the table. The booming sound momentarily paused the argument. The officer took this as an opportunity to get things back on track and possibly de-escalate.

"Merlina," Ferraz said softly, "can you please just acknowledge that we weren't treated equally?"

Merlina lowered her voice to match her sister's.

"I just don't get why that confuses you. I wasn't a problem child."

"Do you think I wanted to be a problem? Do you even think I knew when I was one? I couldn't tell with mom. Even if I did everything perfectly, she'd still find a reason. And that's when you'd do something and she'd pass that onto me!"

At the mention of herself, Merlina deflected again.

"See that's another thing you always do, you keep fishing for what you want to hear. Even on her deathbed, you were treating her like garbage because she wouldn't placate your lies."

The voices quickly re-escalated.

"Treating her – what? You were there! All I asked for was an apology. One acknowledgement across all the years we lived here that I didn't deserve what she did to me."

"Deserve, deserve, deserve – if you're still acting like this as a grown woman then maybe you 'deserve' to get treated poorly."

"When I was a kid, all I wanted to know was what you two expected from me. I stayed to myself, I got yelled at. I spoke up, I got yelled at. I just wanted to be like you so she'd treat me the same. So why, Merlina? One simple question. Why was I not good enough?"

"I DON'T KNOW!"

Merlina grabbed the box in anger and flung it off the table, spreading the papers within across the floor. The argument once again froze and Merlina panted with the anger that had built up. She stared at the mess for a bit before glancing back at Ferraz from the corner of her eye.

"You…you little hypocrite…taking whatever problem you had with mom out on me. She's gone now, Ferraz. You can't manipulate her anymore."

She slowly pointed a finger towards the door.

"Why don't you go? Get out of here. I think we're done for the moment."

Ferraz blinked several times and turned around.

"…about time you said that…"

She headed for the door again and let herself out. As she walked down the street, her hands shook again and she fought to keep herself from crying. Everything she held back during the conversation washed through her though and it kept her close to tears.

* * *

Dimensional Space – Aboard the Claudia

"And lastly, here are your rooms."

Signum was with the four mages from off-planet, guiding them around the ship. They had started at the bridge, where they had gathered to watch the ship depart from Midchilda's atmosphere into dimensional travel. Then they had been led by Signum down the many hallways and to some other areas of interest aboard the ship. Bathory and Negati had long ago given up trying to remember the layout of everything they had gone though.

"You'd think you'd need a map to remember all this," said Negati.

"You get used to it," said Signum. "Trust me on this one. Now, your access keys should have been transferred to your devices. Test that now before I go."

Bathory nodded. He held up his right arm and rolled the sleeve of his jacket up enough to show the dark green gem.

"Aphelion, do you have that?"

The green gem pulsed in response.

[AFFIRMATIVE]

Bathory held the gem near the panel for the door and the door's mechanisms activated, sliding open. Next, Arin took a dark grey crystal from his pocket and addressed it.

"Retrigal, do you have it too?"

[IT WAS RECEIVED]

Arin did the same, holding his device close to the door next to the one that was opened. It also beeped and slid open.

"Good," said Signum. "Spend some time getting comfortable and then we will meet on the bridge again soon. Chrono and Hayate will want you to mingle among them more before we-"

She was cut off as a female officer cried out to them rushing down the hall pushing a cart in front of her.

"Excuse me!" she said. "While I have you all together!"

She pulled up to them and the group saw the cart had several sets of clothes on it – blue clothes that matched the uniform she was wearing. The group recognized her as one of the bridge staff.

"Umm, Commander Yagami has provided you with new uniforms for your mission," she said while handing the four sets out. "Under her direction, you will be representing the Time Space Administration Bureau Naval Division."

"You really found something in Arin's height?" joked Bathory. "You might have to stitch together a couple sets."

"We – we used your sizes you had on your files," said the officer. When the four mages all got a set, the young officer bowed towards them. "Please let us know if there are any issues."

Then, she took the cart and wheeled it off again. Signum sighed and address the group again.

"That means Vita and I need to change as well. I'm hoping that this time, Hayate didn't make any special modifications…"

"And what does that mean?" asked Bathory.

"…Nothing. We will call when we wish to assemble again. Farewell."

Signum headed off and the group went into their rooms. Arin and Asana went into one room, and Bathory and Negati took the other. Immediately, they scoped out the room. It was rather large and well-furnished – definitely a room for special guests instead of the expected barracks. A double-wide bed rested against one wall with nightstands on both ends. The wall across from the couple was slightly curved from floor to ceiling. They figured they were probably at the side of the ship and it was that way to match the exterior. Across from the wall with the bed was a decent-sized kitchen area and a bathroom next to it.

Immediately, Negati slipped the brown shoes she was wearing off and set the uniform given on the bed. She opened the closet and saw the large mirror inside, and then she started to undress.

"Negati, aren't we…" said Bathory.

"What? I want to see how I look. Don't you?"

Bathory looked down at his own uniform and laughed lightly.

"Yeah, kind of."

The two got out of their brown Ground Forces uniforms and began putting on their new ones. For both, there was first a black undershirt and then a white collared shirt buttoned over it with a blue necktie to drape over it. Next, there was the legs – dark blue pants covering the legs or a skirt to mid-thigh level based on gender. Negati had white pantyhose that she put on to cover her legs below the skirt. Then, there was the blue jacket to put on and button up, with a fold above the buttoned-up section to tuck the tie under uniformly. After that was a white belt that was looped around the outside of the outer jacket and covered with a matching white buckle. Lastly, there were the shoes for both outfits, though the male shoes covered up the entire foot while the female shoes showed part of the top of the foot open.

The two looked themselves over in the mirror. Negati especially checked all angles, turning to see how her ponytail of red hair fell against the blue back and darker blue shoulders.

"…Huh…" she mumbled. "I like it."

Bathory stood behind her, putting his arms around Negati and pulling her in.

"It looks good on you," he said.

"It looks… distinguished. Important – like you better treat me with respect. Not every officer can get in the navy."

"Sounds like it's time for a career change?"

Both mages laughed – they knew that question wasn't totally serious.

"Might be good for some free drinks while we have them," said Negati. "Gotta get used to the legs though. I don't really cover them normally."

"Hey, you want to see something else?" asked Bathory.

"Sure, why not?"

He let go of his partner and moved to a small panel he saw on the wall. He had a strong idea for what this did, and as he pressed on it, he looked towards the long, slightly-curved wall behind them. His expectations came true as the wall began to slide downwards, revealing windows behind them that looked outside the ship. Currently, as the Claudia traveled through dimensional space, the view showed an ever-changing wash of colors mostly centered around a dark-purple and dark-blue.

Negati stood in front of it, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. Bathory stood next to her. He reached for her hand and they interlocked their fingers.

"How did we ever land this position?" Negati asked.

"Remember we do have to go to Siba."

"Ugh. Right. Thanks for the reminder, mister realist."

"Still, we have a day or two to make the most of it. Lay back, watch the show, maybe order room service…"

With a soft moan, Negati stood in front of Bathory, putting her free hand up on his collar and leaning in.

"You trying to say something, Bathory?"

"Ahh…No, Negati, we're…it's not a good time…."

"The uniform kinda makes me want to roleplay, you know?"

"Negati, we're on board with two Aces, two Wolkenritter, and a distinguished Admiral. If we show up and then bone in the first hour, we'll be 25 different kinds of dead."

Negati leaned back again.

"Pah. No fun."

She noticed something with Bathory's tie and quickly adjusted it to be symmetrical. She stood back and looked again while Bathory humored her. Then, she nodded.

"All good?" asked Bathory.

"All good."

Then, Bathory's device started to pulse again. He raised his arm again and looked at the gem.

"Go ahead, Aphelion."

The device projected a screen, and on it was another young woman who'd been on the bridge earlier.

"Hello!" she said. "Admiral Harlaown is requesting you on the bridge."

"We can do that," said Negati. "We'll be right over."

The woman nodded and ended her transmission. Both Bathory and Negati sighed.

"Shall we?" Negati asked.

"Sounds like it."

The two went for the door and stepped into the hall. Arin and Asana were already out there, having received the same request just before. Both also had their new uniforms on.

"To the bridge," said Bathory. "Though, they didn't say anything about giving us a map…"

* * *

Siba

The blue crystal pulsed in Daito Mazzanti's pocket.

[SIE HABEN EINEN ANRUF VON – EDELKROONE]

Edelkroone – Hinode's device. Daito paused what he was doing and reached for his device.

"Go ahead, Boden. Answer it."

Daito didn't go with Hinode back to the church. He assumed she'd be calling from it. Not enough time had passed to make it there and leave already – as if they'd let him or Hinode go so quickly. That's why he wanted to avoid the trip altogether but Hinode was more loyal than he was and she took off on her free day to visit there.

The screen opened and the girl was on the other end. She was wearing her Sister habit uniform and looked concerned.

"Ahh…D – Daito," she stammered, "hey."

Something about her wide, pleading eyes kept Daito focused on the screen.

"Hinode," the boy said, "what's going on?"

"Umm…your…p – presence is requested at the church…"

"Who told you to say that to me?"

"Ahh…uhh…Sister Sharan really misses you!"

"Sharan would understand if I didn't make it. Who else?"

For a moment, Hinode's eyes glanced off-screen to look at something in front of her.

"And…and Diaken Sonderklasse wants to see you too…"

Daito groaned. There was the problem – the Diaken himself wanted to see the boy. Diaken – translated from Ancient Belkan to Deacon in the modern language – was the high role of the Siban branch of the Saint Church. This man controlled the operations of the church and the structure of the members within it. Apparently he would force Hinode's hand to get to Daito.

"Okay," snapped Daito. "If he wants me over, I'll get there. He needs to leave you alone; if he wants to speak to me, he should talk to _me_."

Before Hinode could answer, a man's voice spoke up from off-screen.

"That is the plan."

The boy gritted his teeth as two hands grabbed the screen on Hinode's end and turned it around. Those belonged to an older man wearing a white coat atop his regular church uniform. His hair had mostly greyed from its original color and he had a connected ring of facial hair from a mustache, down the sides of his face, to a short but prominent beard on his chin.

"Diaken!" said Daito. "Leave Hinode alone. You know you can reach me directly."

The older man crossed his arms.

"I knew you would need some convincing, especially considering our recent interactions. When you failed to arrive earlier with Hinode, I knew to take no chances."

"Well fine, I'll get over there. I'll do it, okay?"

Sonderklasse smirked.

"And you will be here in time for service, correct? I fear you have many troubles you must admit to our Kaiser."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be there fast as I can."

"Good. We will be waiting for you."

He ended the transmission and Daito rapidly looked himself over, making sure he had everything he needed to get on the train to the Capital Cathedral.

"Ugh, eventually…" he muttered. "Eventually he'll let me go…"


	5. No Faith

**Chapter 5 - No Faith**

* * *

 _There ain't nothin' you can say to prove  
I held the rope that let you down  
As we crash into the waves and drown  
This is impossible_

 _So if there's any doubt I will throw you a line_  
 _(Excuses, excuses)_  
 _Don't ever remind me how it is and always will be_

Karnivool - _The Refusal_

* * *

The Claudia

On the bridge, Chrono and Hayate's group were mingling with each other. Now, Reinforce Zwei was in her human-sized form rather than her unison form.

"It seems like at least once a year we can get together," said Chrono. "That's pretty good nowadays."

"Yeah," said Hayate, "but you need to get back to Midchilda if you can."

"Perhaps we can allocate another day to ourselves after this trip?" said Signum.

"I have a feeling I'm gonna need it…" mumbled Hayate. Her shoulders sagged again before she popped upright rapidly. "Oh, Fate, how are Erio and Caro?"

"They are doing well," Fate answered. "Same as before, but they're still happy."

"That's good. Aaaah, I miss the little cuties. They're growing up, and I'm missing all of it."

"You have Vivio and her friends now, don't you?"

"Yeah, but…" Hayate fake-sniffled, "they all grow up so fast too…"

The doors slid open and the other four diplomats came in. Bathory and Negati led the way, showing obvious signs of relief.

"Ya know, once we made the right turn, that really wasn't so bad!" said Negati.

"Actually, it was a left turn," replied Bathory.

"Oh, my – no, no, it's way too early for you to be making dad jokes. Don't do this to me."

Any further comment was interrupted as the group ahead noticed them and the two noticed Reinforce Zwei.

"Wait, Bathory, wasn't she…?"

"I guess that's a thing as well. Huh."

Chrono stepped forward to greet them.

"Welcome back," he said.

"Thank you, Admiral!" cried Asana. "This is so exciting!"

"Chrono is fine while we're just traveling. So, let me see if I get this right… Bathory, Negati, Arin, and Asana?"

"Nice going," said Negati.

"Husband and wife, correct?" asked Hayate.

"Right. I know it doesn't apply to anyone we're meeting for the first time, but for those who saw us a few years ago on Midchilda, Bathory and I have gone through some…aah…developments since then."

"No kids yet?" asked Chrono.

Negati laughed softly.

"How could you tell? The fact that both of us are here flying through dimensional space? You're right though – not yet. We kinda thought that once we both turn twenty-five – which is a nice solid 'decision-making' number – then we'll really think about it."

While Negati spoke, Chrono pulled out his device. The dark gem projected a picture of Chrono with his wife and two children.

"It can be hectic, but so very rewarding as well," he said. "But now that you're here, let me ask you – Siba. What do I need to know?"

Negati and Bathory laughed awkwardly and glanced at each other. Bathory nodded and he was the one to respond.

"I presume you mean 'info for the mission' and not tourist spots. What has Hayate or Fate told you?"

"Fate told me what she was allowed to reveal from her prior missions but much of that was confidential. I have seen images from the capital and I know the damage being done but I don't know how it got to this point."

"Okay. Well, to put it simply, Siba is a planet whose TSAB has an iron grip on their people. The Bureau is an all-seeing force that monitors everything for any transgression and then punishes strongly. Our prisons are always full and our rehabilitation programs are… non-existent."

"I saw something about that," said Hayate. She tapped on a screen and brought up an article that had been gathered as part of the preliminary investigation. "Your capital's largest prison is building another section and transferring in people from other cities?"

"Wouldn't surprise me," said Negati. "Siba Capital and their Bureau make the decisions that the rest of the planet follows. If they want more prisoners overseen under the central Bureau forces, then that's what happens."

"And to think…" said Bathory, "If it weren't for Fate stepping in, I'd have been locked in one of those cells for the rest of my life. I really can't ever thank her enough."

He looked at Fate and bowed lightly. The Enforcer returned the gesture.

"So people have grown sick of being treated like that," Bathory added. "They're fighting back the only way they've known - excessively."

"So Siba ain't at all like Midchilda is what you're saying?" asked Vita.

"That is correct," said Arin. He looked outwards with his plain expression as the attention was drawn to him. "Siba will not take kindly to our arrival. What will be your role, Admiral?"

"I'll be staying with the ship," said Chrono. "We'll be speaking with Hayate and you all on the planet as well as communicating back with Midchilda if needed."

"So you will not be exposed to the brunt of Siba's aggression."

"I…no, I guess I won't."

"That wasn't an insult, just in case you thought that," said Bathory, budging in quickly. "That's…there's something you may need to get used to."

"What Bathory is intending to convey is that you will notice I am unable to demonstrate emotions aside from anger, which I recognize should not be shown unless the situation demands it," said Arin. "As such I will attempt to engage in conversation while making an effort to not be unnerving or rude, however moments may arise where my intentions do not match the effect."

There was a pause in the conversation after that. Asana quickly slid her way into it, eyes darting around the group.

"Umm, and if Mister Arin confuses you, I'm here to help you out!"

"Don't worry," said Signum. "We're not amateurs. We've known all kinds of people along the way."

"Understood," said the tall man. "I thank you for your consideration."

"Well," said Chrono, "Hayate has told me that Siba needs another day to prepare for our arrival so I'm not in any hurry to get there now. You have a day aboard the Claudia to explore or use its facilities with my permission. Has anything caught your interest?"

"As a matter of fact, sir, yes it has," said Negati. "I noticed your combat and training facilities while we were getting to the bridge – is that odd on a ship like this?"

"Not at all," said Chrono. "XV-class ships such as mine are designed for a full array of uses including preparatory training and mage evaluations. The combat simulation room was designed to…withstand concurrent magical output to a SSS level."

The pause came with a falling of his eyebrow as if he remembered moments from years past that pushed the system to its limit. These moments possibly involved some of the other mages standing around him.

"Hmm. Then maybe it might be good to go through a sparring routine – freshen up if we do need to get directly involved with Siba."

"Yeah," said Bathory. "And it might be helpful for you all to see what we can do."

"You asking for a fight?" asked Vita. She crossed her arms and smirked.

"Ahh…umm…no, not like that."

The color drained from the ground mage's face when he imagined what Vita was picturing.

"Oh, can we? Can we?" asked Asana energetically.

"Four on one? Sounds like an even fight," replied Vita. Her smirk grew wider.

"No, no, please no," said Bathory. "Asana, you do not understand who we're with now. That's one of the Wolkenritter, and we're...uhh…nobodies."

"What, you're not confident enough?" teased Agito.

"I'm…actually very confident in my relative position here…"

"None of you are known throughout dimensions?" asked Hayate, getting in on the teasing. "None of you have nicknames that send chills down someone's spine, like the White Devil or the Ghost Wizard?"

Hayate regretted speaking that phrase when everyone from Midchilda, including herself, visibly cringed and recoiled at it. Meanwhile, the other four looked on confused.

"Who has that second one?" asked Negati.

With a groan, Fate covered her head with her hands.

"You really don't want to know…" she said.

"So," said Bathory, "thank you for your offer Vita but I'd rather we be fit for duty upon arrival to Siba and not crumpled up in the medical ward. We'll just use drones."

The hammer knight looked off to the side and mumbled.

"Spoil sport…"

"Feel free to use our facility," said the Admiral. "A crowd may form or not – it's their call."

"Great," replied Negati. "Thank you, Chrono."

* * *

Siba

Daito stood in front of the Siba Capital Belkan Church. It stood on large but not expansive grounds and the front face was quite grand and royal. However, traveling in and past the entryway would soon lead to halls and corridors that felt more like a school than a church with an exterior along the sides and back that matched. The front door was across a courtyard where small ponds flanked the paved walk in the middle. As Daito trudged his way across the lawn, there was a flock of birds – geese and ducks, mainly – that had momentarily set up in the water and were patrolling the ground nearby. Daito walked around some of them, hearing a quick flapping of wings as the birds drifted back to the water in defense.

The boy pushed the entry doors opened and walked in. The entryway was designed to impress and carved pillars stretched high to the ceiling above. Then, the room gave way to the main lobby which stretched on with the same level of grandeur displayed within. Hallways went to the left and right from the side walls, and Daito moved as if on autopilot to the hallway that would take him to his room where his outfit was.

Just his luck – from the hallway he was nearing came a woman with dark brown hair and turquoise eyes, also dressed in the church's uniform. It was Sister Sharan, and she rapidly closed the distance between her and Daito.

"Oh, Daito, we were so worried about you!" she called.

"I'm fine, really," Daito responded. He paused to meet her, and the stern, unhappy expression across his face gave way a little bit.

"You and Hinode, we heard you were in trouble," the woman said.

"Really, it went so fast, I can't remember much."

"Well, I'm glad you're okay as well as Hinode."

"Alright, so where is she?"

Sister Sharan hesitated and looked nervously back down the hallway she came from.

"She…she's still with Diaken Sonderklasse…"

Daito only had to hear the start of the name before he was heading down the hallway now, pushing swiftly forward.

"Daito!" cried Sister Sharan. "Please, wait."

Down the hall, the Diaken's main office was through a door on the right side. Daito stormed in, and the old man immediately began speaking even as his attention was elsewhere.

"Daito, come in," he said.

He was writing at his desk and Hinode was still there across from him. She looked back rapidly to see Daito's grand entrance. The two made eye contact and Daito went next to her.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" the boy asked.

"What?" Hinode said, confused. "N – No, just – "

"Daito, I am not your enemy," said the old man. He paused his work and looked up at the young boy. "I was merely asking about you and Hinode's time with the Bureau. Take a seat."

Sonderklasse waited, and Daito eventually reached for the other seat and slid it over. The boy sat, keeping his narrowed gaze on the older man. He was uneasy, but he couldn't point to anything Sonderklasse was doing to explain it. The man spoke normally, rarely raising his voice and never saying anything shocking. It was just a feeling that Daito had come to know would happen.

"We're doing fine," he said.

"I see news of the incident where you two were involved, and it isn't shocking. Anyone can keep an eye on our city and know this is happening more and more. The Bureau is losing."

"No," spat the boy, shaking his head. "We will fix this."

Sonderklasse smiled and laughed softly, shaking his head.

"I have no faith in them, Daito. They will not be able to hold this back for long. I often wonder what you see in the Bureau, or why you took Hinode and joined them."

Hinode shot a nervous look at her partner and Daito answered.

"If Hinode and I have potential with our magic, then why not? We stopped that incident yesterday. Without us, our Lieutenant could have been hurt worse!"

"I still wonder why you would ever leave the comfort and sanctity of our church, especially knowing what's on the horizon. What will the people do once the Bureau falls? They will seek comfort in order. They will wish to be guided by Belka's holy saints again. Time is cyclical. This TSAB has only been in control for eighty years. Our Belka of the past is taking over once again. And the people will seek refuge with the church, where you have always belonged."

Daito darted up rapidly, slamming his hands on the table.

"You know what, I'd rather die fighting with the Bureau than stay here and listen to your stupid ramblings-"

"DAITO!" cried Hinode. The boy looked down into her wide-open eyes before Hinode clenched them shut and clasped her hands, leaning towards Sonderklasse.

"He didn't mean it, sir," she said. "Please give him a chance."

There was silence in the room as the two kids waited for the man to respond. With a heavy sigh, he looked up at the boy.

"Please take a seat and keep your voice down."

Grunting in frustration, the boy followed orders again. Then, the old man leaned forward on the desk.

"Do try and remember that we raised you. You and Hinode – we took you in and gave you a chance. Before we found you, your lives had no structure, no help, no future. I've known you for years, Daito - from learning about the world, and learning all of your classmates, to learning our songs and living among us. And as I've watched you turn away from those who have shown nothing but love, I see now a boy who has lost his faith, and only anger is left in his heart."

Below the desk, Daito kept his hands hidden as he was balling them into fists.

"I don't want to sit here wishing and praying," he responded, then Sonderklasse flashed the smallest of smiles.

"The Sankt Kaiser wants to hear you again."

That was too much to be patient with, and Daito jumped up again, now kicking his chair to the ground behind him.

"And so what?" he yelled. "What does she do for us on Siba? All these old, ancient people – why should I care about them if they don't care about us? I can fight right now. I can do something now. You're lying to yourself and you're hiding like cowards."

From the entrance to the room behind Daito, a soft, shocked voice could be heard.

"Daito…"

The boy spun back rapidly to see Sister Sharan's alarmed face. Immediately his temper cooled, replaced by surprise.

"S…Sister Sharan…"

"Do you really mean that?" she asked. "Do you see nothing in our Kaiser?"

"I…I just think that…"

"If we cannot trust our saviors, then who will protect us?" asked Sonderklasse. "If we have no one to look up to, then we may all turn into degenerates and suffer for life. Take Hinode – if she were left to survive this violence with nowhere to turn to, who would protect her?"

Daito slowly looked over at his partner, who was shivering with fear from the Daito's heated argument. Though she tried to keep it inside, her quivering lips told the boy what she was feeling. Looking away from everyone else, Daito muttered his response.

"I would protect her…"

He looked down at the desk again, averting his eyes from Hinode. He tried not to notice the slight blush she showed in response.

"You may have joined the TSAB to fight, but I know in your heart you are still longing for purpose," said the Diaken. "Join us for our service, please, and you will find that comfort is closer than you think. Hurry though – it is almost time."

Sonderklasse stood and adjusted his outer robes. Across the desk, Daito awkwardly picked his chair up and started to back out.

"Then I need to change," he muttered. He turned, but as he went past Sister Sharan, he paused again. "I'm sorry," was all he said as he continued going to his room.

Soon, he had reached his room in the church where his outfit was. He put it on and quickly left again, trying to make it to the auditorium even as the bells were calling for the members to gather. Just outside his room, Hinode was waiting for him, and the two kids walked together down the halls.

"Um…Daito?" the girl asked.

"Hmm?"

"I…I'm happy that you'd protect me…"

Daito inhaled sharply, glancing to the side again as a weird blend of emotions kicked through his system.

"It's nothing, Hinode…"

The girl smiled brightly in response and soon the two reached the auditorium. They walked down the center aisle as many other people of all age ranges were seated on the benches on either side. Most wore the same uniform of a servant of the Church. Daito and Hinode found a seat close to the front where Diaken Sunderclasse stood, arms raised out to greet all the arrivals. Behind him were several other higher-ranking members of the church including Sister Sharan. Behind them all and to the side, another woman was sitting at a large keyed instrument, playing a melody that reverberated throughout the room. She finished the melody as the last groups began to file in and people quieted down to focus on the Diaken. He dropped his arms when he received complete attention.

"I thank everyone who could make it today," he said. "I look outside, and check the news, and every day things are growing more uncertain for the modern man. The people who have relied on their Bureau now seek to destroy it, and all this conflict may leave you feeling hopeless and abandoned. However, there is always a purpose, and there is always someone watching you. We can always turn to Olivie Sägebrecht, the Last Saint King, who will protect us as long as we remain ever-faithful."

Sonderklasse stepped to the side as Sister Sharan came forth. As if this was a circus act, a big deal was made as Sharan stood before the audience and her body began to glow, glowing brighter and brighter before she was completely engulfed in light. To the tune of another holy melody from the instrument, the glow receded and the figure of Olivie herself stood before everyone. As depicted in ancient records, she had blond hair that was tied up in a bun behind her and differently-colored eyes. Her left pupil was red and her right one was green. Then, she wore a fancy outfit where the top of her jacket looked like a black ribbed sweater before giving way to light-gray metal that covered her arms and torso.

Most of the crowed quickly closed their eyes, clasped their hands, and bowed. Hinode did all three while Daito slowly lowered himself and did a half-hearted effort otherwise.

"It's just illusionary magic," he mumbled. "She's not real."

"Daito, it's harmless," said Hinode.

Her partner closed his eyes lightly to humor her and just listened in while Sonderklasse continued.

"Release your concerns, your fears, your hesitations. Feel her embrace. Feel her warmth. We are all students to the forces beyond, so listen and learn and know you are protected."

Before them all, Sister Sharan began to glow brightly and afterwards she looked like herself once again. However, the crowd kept their heads down and eyes shut as Sonderklasse continued.

"But we must also acknowledge the people we have lost to these recent events. Out in the Capital, men and women have been lost in these battles, and all we can do is know that they will not be forgotten. May we all sing a hymn for their lost souls."

As the woman at the instrument began to play, Daito sighed. He knew the words to this song from the years growing up in the church. He could even sing in tune with the others. But as the vocals started and everyone began to sing along, he kept silent. He opened his eyes and stared at Sonderklasse, seeing exactly what he expected to see. Sonderklasse was watching him, waiting to see if the boy would contribute. The two were in this gridlock for several seconds until Sonderklasse, who had been keeping a neutral expression so far, frowned.

This was it – the rejection Daito was waiting for. With another annoyed grunt, he stood up and quickly pushed his way into the aisle, storming off down it towards the door. Hinode noticed and she watched frozen as Daito left, with the only others noticing being Sonderklasse, Sister Sharan, and any others on the stage which had been watching at the time of event.

Daito pushed open the doors, stomping down the large entryway towards the main doors. He took off his robe and threw it down on the floor.

"Just a waste of time...That's all this was…"

He pushed the entrance doors open, trying to get as far away from the Diaken's preachings as he could. In front of him, on the path, a family of geese was leading its babies across the walk. Daito kept his path straight, barely dodging some of the babies as they failed to get out of his way.

"Ugh, move, you little-"

A larger bird fluttered in front of Daito, honking angrily at him. Surprised, the boy froze in place and put his arms out.

"Hey, hey, I didn't-"

The animal kept screeching at him and jumping forwards. Still focused on the animal, Daito stepped back until his foot came down on something soft and he heard a crunch underneath. Cursing, he jumped back more, trying not to put any more pressure on, but he saw the results of his carelessness on the ground in front of him. A young animal, surely still a baby, lay on the ground motionless. The boy stared at the corpse, a moment of shock going through his system. The other birds focused their attention on the lost animal, and with angered deflection taking over again, Daito quickly brushed past them to get away from the scene.

"…wasn't my fault…" he muttered. "Shouldn'ta…it got in my way. I didn't do anything…"

* * *

The Claudia

At the training room, the group had changed into workout clothes. Bathory and Asana were stretching as Negati and Arin stood at the control panel.

"For a non-fixed location, it does have a strong selection of options," said Arin.

"Yeah," said Negati. "It's not quite like Midchilda's facilities but it matches what we have on Nemelendelle. So what should we do – maybe a team battle, or the four of us together…"

"I suggest doubles against drones. I specifically wish to check Asana and I's synergy before actual combat, in the event it happens."

"We can do that. So, Bathory and me first, then you two?"

"I will accept that."

Negati nodded and typed on the panel, setting up herself and her partner against several waves of drones that would attempt to maintain a constant presence until the reserves were exhausted.

"Hey Bathory, we're up. Get ready," she shouted.

"Asana," said Arin, "we should prepare as well."

Bathory got up and stood by his wife while Asana ran over to the line as well. When they were ready, Negati nodded.

"Let's do this!"

She reached for her support device and held it tightly. As was standard with strike arts or melee-focused mages, Negati didn't have an intelligent device with its own name and voice but she still had a support device that would amplify her output. Channeling her mana into her barrier jacket, she started to glow. Bathory was next, and he swung Aphelion up into his right hand before grabbing it tightly too.

"Aphelion, go!"

He began to glow and Arin was next. He took the light-gray crystal of his device and did the same.

"Retrigal, activate."

As Asana's master transformed, she reached in to pull from his mana supply and change outfit as well.

"Alright!"

The four all glowed brightly before it receded and they were in their barrier jackets with their devices in their weapon forms for those who had them. Negati wore a short-sleeved jacket with a red and white color scheme, and on the very front of her jacket was a pattern that looked like stylized wings. The one on the right side of her jacket was also red, but the one on the left side was dark green. She had a red skirt that covered the top half of her legs and her shoes also had a red-and-white color scheme. On her uncovered arms, lines of bold red mana raced all the way up them, the color pulsing in intensity as she channeled her energy through them.

Next to her, Bathory's outfit consisted of a light gray, long-sleeved jacket with several stripes of color that started at his front at mid-chest level then extended diagonally down to end on his left side. Most of the stripes were a dark green, but the very bottom one was red instead. He had long pants that covered his legs completely and his shoes fit the same color scheme as his jacket, light gray with dark green highlights. Aphelion now took the form of a pair of armguards that had a metallic grey color scheme with the same green secondary. The main guard on the right arm had several independently-calibrated firing ports on a rotatable ring, and on the outer side of each guard there was a groove that was currently empty where a blade of energy could be formed.

Arin appeared in his jacket as well and its primary color was dark grey, with black highlights up the middle of the front coat where it clasped together and at the top of his collar. His pants matched and the shoes reflected the color scheme as well. Retrigal was now a staff where, on both ends, several curved blades of grey energy formed in a radial pattern parallel to the staff like blades on a windmill. The blades rotated around the center of their groups slowly.

Finally, Asana reappeared too, draped in the same primary color as her master. Below her waist was a skirt instead, with dark leggings below those that went down to the hem of the skirt. Her fox ears stood at attention and she flexed her fingers. As a familiar, she had no device of her own but she would channel Arin's mana through herself to attack as well.

"You ready?" Negati asked.

The firing ports on Aphelion spun around their ring momentarily.

"Definitely," Bathory answered.

The two stepped into the simulation and it began to summon in multiple combat drones before them. They had a standardized appearance between all simulations they were programmed into – a pod-shaped robot with a blue and black color scheme with one large 'eye' in its center on the front. They all floated a couple feet off the ground and the eyes, which initially were all a dim red, glowed brighter as the drones activated. For protection, a barrier formed inside the room, glowing as it first appeared but then turning invisible once it was fully made.

"Alright!" cried Negati. "Come and get me!"

The two mages raced in, and some of the drones did as well. Based on their type – melee or ranged – the AIs moved to their optimal range and the some of the ranged drones attempted to flank the human couple. Priority 1 were the machines that did move in close that shot out several appendages from their body with energy blades of the ends of them. Negati ran in, ducking under a swipe from one of the combatants to land a charged punch against it. Bathory moved right outside the radius of the weapons, aiming Aphelion and firing energy from the firing ports in several condensed bursts that stripped away at the shielding until that broke and the drone was destroyed.

As Negati cracked another drone in half, Bathory focused on the ranged ones. He raised a Protection spell to stop the projectiles before yelling "Aphelion, Raid Fire!" and getting a clear sight on one of them. He raised his device again, and now the ports fired out while staggered, keeping an unending barrage headed towards the machine. It fell and Bathory focused on the other one patrolling the outskirts, though this one had adapted and was moving all around to prevent Bathory from reliably hitting it.

"Aphelion," Bathory grunted, "Clamp Bind!"

He reached out towards the drone and several dark green bands of magic formed around it. Then, Bathory clenched his fist and the bands raced in, pinning the machine in place. As it struggled against its containment, Bathory quickly looked down at his weapon.

"Aphelion, Charged Multi-Shot."

[UNDERSTOOD]

The firing ports began to rotate around the ring slowly as a bold green light emanated from all of them. In each, a burst of magic was forming that, combined with the rest, were more powerful than a basic blast. After a couple seconds, the device pulsed.

[READY]

"Alright, then. Fire!"

The shot burst out from the device over to the drone, slamming into it and exploding against the exterior. When the light show dimmed, the front of the drone was split open, the insides revealed and sparking. When the binds were released, the drone fell.

Behind Bathory, Negati had been working on the melee drones, reducing their numbers until only a couple remained. To quickly get back to her, Bathory thrust his arm out to the side.

"Aphelion, Flight Driver!"

A green blade of energy formed in the groove on the main part of the device. Bathory ran forward and dug the blade into the floor. Then, he shot forwards rapidly as the blade cut along the floor, leaving a glowing magic trail but no damage to the actual structure. Getting back to the group, Bathory released from the floor, flipping forwards to stomp against one of the drones in its eye. The machine recoiled and the eye was cracked now. It turned about as its damaged sensor tried to recover before one left hook from Negati broke it completely.

With the brief rest, Bathory and Negati stood next to each other, waiting primed for the next group. Then, more drones formed in closely around the two and all of them summoned bladed weapons.

"They want to get in close…" muttered Negati.

"No problem," said Bathory. As the machines raced in, he raised his right arm up in the air so his device was pointed at the ceiling. "Aphelion, Sunburst!"

The firing ports raised back so they were facing sideways relative to the main body. This time, they moved separately around the ring, facing several of them together against a drone and blasting it with magic before rapidly focusing on the next target and doing the same. This spell hit each machine before it could attack, destroying the wave quickly.

One more wave formed in, this time across the room from the couple and all ranged drones. They stood where they formed, charging up to fire on the two.

"You got this?" asked Bathory.

"You know I do!" replied Negati. Before the drones fired, she stepped forward and put her arm out. "Counter-Reaction!"

A large red barrier formed in front of the two. Unlike a defensive barrier, this wall had no pattern to it. Instead, it just stood as the drones fired on it, absorbing the shots while the AI continued firing and attempting to bring it down. As more energy was absorbed, the center glowed brighter and lines like cracks began to race out across its surface. Negati narrowed her eyes, grunting as the onslaught continued and she had to channel more energy into her spell, but finally the drones ended their barrage.

With one brightly pulsing barrier of magic in front of her, Negati smiled. She brought her arm back momentarily before thrusting in forward again.

"Return!"

The force field collapsed into multiple large balls of energy that raced towards the drones. All of them slammed into their respective targets with the energy of the drones' attacks and destroyed all but one of them in violent explosions. The last drone sparked and dipped towards the floor but remained active. Negati looked towards her husband and smirked.

"Want to end with a bit of style?"

"Sure, why not?" asked Bathory. "Aphelion, Razor Form!"

On his arm, Bathory's device brought the firing ports together again, closing them off as a large green blade of energy formed in the right groove. Next to him, Negati wound back and thrust her arm at the drone again, sending solid red tendrils of magic out of the markings on her arm. These tendrils wrapped around the drone and then the mage pulled her arm back, receding the tendrils and pulling the drone rapidly towards them. Bathory wound his arm back and lunged forwards, swinging the energy blade through the drone and cutting it in half. The pieces fell and slid along the ground before fading out of the simulation. Panting lightly, both mages looked at each other and high-fived before jogging back to Arin and Asana.

"Your turn," said Negati.

Arin nodded and the two stepped in to take the place the previous two combatants were at before. As the first of their enemies formed, Arin got in a stance, holding the staff behind him while Asana dropped to her hands and feet like she was going to pounce forwards.

"Are you ready?" asked Arin.

"Ready!" shouted the foxgirl.

"Go!"

The two ran in and Arin swung to meet the first machine that reached them. The grey glaive of blades spun against it, cutting into the metal first high up on it before the other end of the staff came in low. Asana pounced at another robot, yelling energetically as she swiped at it with both hands. She formed several grey blades in front of her that mimicked her fingers, slashing into her target. After another swing, her master pulsed a thought over to his familiar and she got his idea, nodding. Arin ducked low and swung over to the drones Asana had attacked and she vaulted over him to the ones he had worn down. Cutting unpredictably, the two dodged whatever strikes the drones attempted to make and destroyed the group of machines.

As the next group formed in, this one was also varied between long and close-ranged. Arin waited for the group to materialize and then he raised his other hand.

"Containment Wall!"

A grey triangle of magic formed around the outer perimeter, catching all the drones around the pair in its zone. Then, the triangle closed in, dragging the machines closer towards their targets. Some drones pushed or shot against the band of energy but it stood strong, trapping them in its zone. With more attacks and defensive spells when needed, the wave was dropped.

Arin and Asana watched the next group form in, again all ranged drones attempting to catch the close-range pair at a disadvantage. Asana stared at them and her tail fluttered wildly.

"Can I get them, Mister Arin? Please?"

"If you believe you can handle it."

"Don't worry! Watch me gooooooo!"

The foxgirl charged forward, dropping to her hands and feet to avoid the blasts the drones sent out. She moved that way for several steps before leaping into the group. As she started fighting, Arin calmly backed up to where Bathory and Negati were, who just looked on at the show.

"You're…not gonna help her?" asked Negati.

"Asana had been feeling quite cooped up from our recent travels," said Arin. "I figure it would be nice to let her run free."

Sure enough, Asana energetically moved between the drones, clawing at them and them lunging away before any could target her. As some of the machines fell and more quickly spawned in to deal with her, she reverted into her fox form and leapt quickly between some of the machines, watching as bursts or strikes that were intended for her took out some of the other drones on accident. She reverted to human form with a cheerful cry but suddenly one of the robotic arms whipped into her side, tossing her against the wall.

Bathory and Negati's eyes went wide.

"Arin," gasped Bathory, "you should probably-"

"I see that," said the plain-faced man. He stepped forward, holding the staff of Retrigal in both hands and raising the device above him. He bared his teeth and channeled more energy into the blades, making the set spin faster and glow brighter. Then, he swung down and the energy blades released themselves, flying forwards through the air at the group of drones that gathered around the stunned fighter. They carved through the remaining machines, slipping them all in two and dropping them to the ground. As the blades reformed again on that end of Arin's device, the drones exploded and the familiar could be seen behind that, laying on her side.

"Aha…sorry…" she laughed softly. "I messed up…"

"Pick yourself up, Asana."

The foxgirl did so, heading back to the other three as the barrier around the room disbanded with the end of the combat. The group began to glow and they went back into their civilian clothes with the standby forms of their devices. They turned to leave and were surprised to see Fate, Signum and Vita standing there watching them. Negati's face went red and she suddenly couldn't speak a full sentence.

"Ahh…uhh…so – so that's us! Wh – what did you think?"

Signum crossed her arms and smirked.

"Competent for your positions."

"I appreciated what I saw," said Fate.

Negati gasped and her eyes went wide. Then, they shut tightly and her arms closed in around her husband.

"She likes me, Bathory! She really likes me!"

"Nrgh…that's…good to hear…"

"We are expecting to arrive on Siba within twenty-four hours," said Signum. "We will rest tonight, but we must prepare tomorrow to get involved."

"Understood," said Arin.

"So we're gonna have to eat at some point," said Vita. "What's on the menu is whatever the mess hall's got. Chrono says since there aren't too many of us then we might have something good but trust me, I've been burned before."

She spun around on her shorted legs and walked out like a drill sergeant.

"Welcome to Navy life, everybody!"

"But that won't be for another few hours," said Signum. "We can reconvene then and prepare for tomorrow."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Well, here's the mandatory 'summarize all the OCs' combat abilities so you know what to expect' scene. But along with that, this is also practice for writing group battles since that's something I want to have more of in this story. Raise the Dawn, Times of Grace - in both previous stories, the battles were always one on one or at least single-opponent battles. Here in End of the Harvest, if we're on the streets in the middle of an uprising I want to get some group combat in, showing the synergy of teamwork against the onslaught thrown at them. It kinda brings me back to what I did in Raze the Stray, that darker, grimier atmosphere and mood - which again, part of the purpose of this story is to go back to that darker feel and do it better than I did when I was just starting out.


	6. Another Badge of Courage Part 3

**Chapter 6 - Another Badge of Courage (Part 3)**

* * *

 _God we've tried how much we've tried_  
 _Drunk and high we've seen the sun rise_  
 _Many sleepless nights we've seen_  
 _The sun on top of everything_  
 _Love is all that's worth to sing_  
 _We're deep in it and still we bring_  
 _The bells are broke but still they ring_  
 _The sun on top of everything_

 _Lord, let my son live long enough to see that mountain torn down._

A Silver Mt. Zion - _Austerity Blues_

* * *

The Claudia

On the bridge, Bathory stood in front of the wide windows. He stared out at the colors shifting past him through dimensional space and he clasped his hands behind his back.

"Space…" he began, "the endless frontier. Planets floating in the sea like grains of sand under the waves, all carried along by the solar winds of time. Galaxies, and…uhh…black holes, and dark matter, and… other space stuff…"

As he trailed off, his partner stood behind him with an amused grin. Negati stepped forward.

"Having fun?" she asked.

Bathory chuckled.

"It's like one of those TV shows, you know? One of those crews in search of unknown territory, trekking across the stars…"

"A day in the Navy and it's already gone to your head, hasn't it?"

"Excuse me?" Bathory asked with mock incredulity. "A man can pretend for a moment, can he not?"

Negati just laughed lightly in response and Bathory did so as well. They heard the door to the bridge sliding open and multiple footsteps crossing the floor. The two turned to see Chrono leading the rest of the Diplomatic party in.

"We are arriving outside Siba now," he said.

The two nodded and headed over to the group, standing by Arin and Asana. They reached their spot and turned to face the windows again as the bridge crew began to speak.

"Coordinates locked!"

"Approaching target."

"Begin exit sequence," Chrono commanded.

Several bits of coordinated effort happened and soon a darker circle of energy appeared right in front of the ship. It passed through the circle and the washy blue-and-purple hues of dimensional space had given way to a blackness dotted with blips of light from distant stars. Off to one side, a large object took up the view with green, white, brown, and blue mixed among each other and a thin covering of clouds over part of the planet – Administrated World #84, Siba.

Bathory took a step, looking outwards at his homeworld.

"Siba…"

"It doesn't look out of the ordinary," said Vita.

"No, Siba itself isn't anything special," replied Negati. "Maybe on the small side. But it's far away from the hubs of the Bureau. It's its own little planet, isolated from the rest."

One of the screens at the bridge staff began to pulse with light.

"Incoming transmission!" the woman called out.

"Accept it," answered Chrono.

A large screen appeared in front of the party. They were expecting to see a random mage from the Siban Bureau that would just ask their identification, but instead they saw General Alcyone, head propped up with her hand as her graying hair fell to the side of her face.

"So you've arrived," she said.

"Indeed…um…" replied Chrono, fumbling for who exactly this was.

"General, I take it that Siba is expecting our ship to remain in atmosphere?" asked Hayate.

"Attentive, Commander," the older woman responded. "We don't exactly have room for you at the Capital's port."

While Dreischer spoke, her eyes glanced over the party aboard the spaceship. A Commander with her knights and unison devices, an Enforcer with her, and then…the rest of the diplomats - some very familiar faces. The General's eyes paused on one mage and narrowed.

"Bathory Kardenis," she said. "After many years, you've returned…"

Bathory felt his throat tighten but he tried to push that feeling away. He continued looking up at the screen and he answered professionally.

"I look forward to the visit, General."

The older woman closed her eyes and laughed softly.

"I wondered where you had run to… But we can make this work…"

Then, she opened her eyes again and leaned in.

"Please do make haste in arriving on-planet. We will be waiting."

Alcyone ended the transmission and the screen disappeared. Quickly, Vita turned to the group.

"You hear her, get back to the bay."

"I will be monitoring your status in case anything happens," said Chrono. "Best of luck to you. Fate, stay safe."

"I'll be on alert," his sister answered.

The group began to disband as some went for the doors with others lingering momentarily before following. However, a few had barely moved and Bathory was frozen in place. His head was facing the screen that had disappeared but his eyes seemed to be looking far beyond it. Negati slowly reached out and touched her partner's shoulder.

"Bathory?" she asked.

Her husband sighed.

"I was hoping I'd be ready. I'm still hoping I am."

Signum came over to address Bathory.

"We're in the same forces," she said. "We stand together. What anyone says to you, they're saying to all of us."

She turned to exit. With another sigh, Bathory just nodded once and turned as well.

"Once more into the breach."

Negati walked with him as they followed the others to the teleportation bay.

* * *

Siba

The teleportation chambers in the Siba Capital TSAB Headquarters weren't big enough to send a large party at once. Instead, there were three of them in the room that could each fit a couple people at a time. On the upper floors of the building, the doors on the chambers shut and the pods began to hum and glow with charged energy. It increased in intensity until the spells were completed and the people arrived inside. Then while winding down, the doors would open and the groups would step out.

Immediately, the diplomatic group was being ushered out of the room and into the halls of the HQ building. Hayate's knights led the way, followed by Hayate herself, then Fate and the group of former Sibans. Bathory glanced around, noting that even after the last few years the interior hadn't changed at all. Everything was so immediately familiar about the place. When the group made their way to a hall near the side of the building, with windows that peered out into the Capital below, Bathory stepped over to take a look.

It looked mostly the same as in the years before – the city center sprawling out from the Bureau building with skyscrapers seated close by and then the view opening to some of the city sub districts beyond that. No massive craters or fallen towers had happened because of the recent rebellions. However, the little details gave away some of the unease felt in the Capital. Flashing sirens bounced their light off glass windows further down one street and a few smaller buildings had some damage to their fronts. It seemed quieter outside as well. Less foot traffic on the sidewalks than normal. People tried to quickly get to where they needed to go.

Bathory could tell things were different. The pictures shown to him were one thing, but the atmosphere of the city that was his home was far from how it was years ago when he was on the Siba Capital Bureau.

"It looks different," said Negati. She'd paused as well to join her husband.

"We're finally seeing it for ourselves," he replied.

Asana also took the opportunity to sightsee. She glanced around at the outside world, murmuring with interest.

"So this is where you and Mister Arin lived?"

"Eighteen years. Born and raised," Bathory answered.

"Can you show me it?"

"You may see something you would not like, if the pictures we were given show the truth," said Arin. "But if we have the opportunity, I may choose to entertain your wishes."

"Alright!" beamed the foxgirl. "Awesome."

From down the hall, the group was sternly told to keep moving by some of the Siban Bureau's mages. The group pulled away from the window and continued along. After being escorted down more hallways, they came to the elevators where they were led in before being sent down to ground level. One more hall away from the main lobby brought them to the entrance backstage of a large room for presentations. In front of that, though, was a checkpoint with scanning devices surrounded by another team of bureau officers wearing brown Ground Forces coats.

"Step on through, one at a time," one of them commanded. "Keep all devices on you but take them out of any pockets. As for…uhh…ancient superweapons…"

Hayate felt the nervous gazes from several officers settle on the book she was holding with one arm against her chest.

"The Tome of the Night Sky is perfectly harmless," she addressed. "It does not hold any of the darkness you may remember from my incident. Your analysis will prove that."

After a bit of back and forth between the officers, spoken while leaning towards each other and keeping their voices down, they backed off again and muttered for Hayate to step through. She did so with Reinforce Zwei tagging along and the machines that had checked for unknown items were silent. She watched then as her knights lined up and came through, Signum looking on professionally while Vita already looked annoyed by this.

On the other side of the gate, Bathory suddenly tensed up.

"Wait, Negati – ah, great, we've got a problem."

"What is it?"

"My leg."

"Your leg? Wha – ooohhhhhh, right."

"It's going to get dinged, I know it."

"Maybe they'll let you go anyways?"

"Only one way to find out."

After Fate stepped through the checkpoint, Bathory decided to get it over with and he followed up behind her. He swung the cord holding Aphelion around so the device was in his palm and he walked through the gate. Immediately, there was a buzzing noise and the attention of the officers convened on him.

"Sir, stay right there, we need to –"

"It's my leg. Check the screen."

The group glanced over at the screen that showed the results and they saw that Bathory's right leg was entirely machinery. Immediately the murmurs began again.

"Cybernetics?" someone asked.

"Wearing their uniform?" someone else followed with.

Bathory took a nice calming breath as he tried to remain professional.

"I'm simply here to represent Midchilda in the discussions," he said.

The leader of the Siban group stepped in front of Bathory. The man's body language and tone of voice were hesitant and unsure.

"So…can you…" he asked.

"What, remove it?" answered Bathory. "Not easily."

After a light sigh, the officer asked a question that very obviously was not linked to his previous one and was instead just accusatory.

"Why?"

Several sarcastic answers went through Bathory's head but honesty was the way to handle this.

"I like being able to walk."

Before the confrontation could go any further, Hayate called out firmly to the Siban officers.

"Everyone in my group should be allowed to proceed. Barring anyone from entrance will be considered a direct breach of your planet's agreement."

It had caught the officers' attention and they were watching Hayate, waiting to see what she or one of their own would do. After a moment's hesitation, the lead officer stepped out of Bathory's way, mumbling again.

"You're free to go."

Bathory nodded and made his way to the others. Negati, Arin and Asana had no problems behind him and the group was led through the back doors to the side of the stage. Out in front were journalists and camera crews waiting to hear the announcement or speech that was about to be made. Currently out was General Alcyone speaking with a few other mages wearing the Ground Forces uniforms. There were two younger mages, a boy with dark brown hair and a girl with light hazel hair, along with a woman in her mid-twenties with black hair, cut short on one side of her head then the other side folded up and over down past her shoulder. That woman seemed to be dominating the conversation, but the young girl noticed the Midchildan party and drew them to Alcyone's attention. The older General came over with an interest and enthusiasm that was obviously forced.

"Ahh, and we finally met in person," Alcyone said.

"We are ready at any time, General," Hayate responded.

"Soon, Commander. Now that you are here, we can make our announcement."

Alcyone turned again and headed for the podium set up in front of the cameras. As the attention of the cameras focused on her, Fate looked at Hayate from the corner of her eye.

"Is the planet supposed to know of our involvement?"

Hayate narrowed her eyes as she responded.

"It would appear so."

Alcyone stood at the podium, looking across at the audience and beginning to address them.

"Good afternoon to all of you, I am pleased to announce that Midchilda's party has arrived led by some well-known faces in the Bureau, Commander Hayate Yagami and Enforcer Fate Harlaown."

The attention turned to the new arrivals and they all looked out at the cameras, trying not to wince from the many shutter flashes pulsing in their vision.

"Don't announce me as well?" asked Agito, partly joking. "Snubbed again."

Along with the noise of the cameras, there was low murmuring among the audience that was slowly building in intensity. Bathory's eyes darted around the audience and noticed a fair number of them had their sights set on him. Across from them, Alcyone continued.

"And assisting them in their efforts are several former members of our Siban bureau, including…"

Whoever didn't recognize Bathory on their own was now drawn to him with the General's cue. The audience reaction snowballed harder as the cameras tried to get the real scoop of the day and Bathory felt almost drowned in the sea of attention.

"…Bathory Kardenis, returning on the other side," said Alcyone.

Bathory just tried to emulate what he'd been doing so far. He nodded when mentioned and looked out at the audience with a light smile. At least the reaction seemed more shocked and intrigued than hateful.

At the podium, Alcyone smiled and addressed the audience again.

"At least S.C.D.U has their plot for the next season now."

There were a few light giggles at the light joke and Alcyone waited for the audience to return to her before continuing.

"On our side of the table, I have personally chosen several of Siba's best to represent us in these discussions."

Ferraz Delahaye smirked. 'Several of Siba's best' sounded a lot better to her than the truth of 'whoever was available at this time'.

"And leading this team," continued Alcyone, "is the Siban most qualified to defend our planet, Former General Gerin Parkensine."

The name hit Fate, Bathory, and Negati's ears and their eyes shot open. The three quickly looked over at Siba's group to see Parkensine step up into view as if from the shadows. He faced the crowd, but his head turned slightly and he glanced at Midchilda's group from the corner of his eye.

Fate's blood went cold and her heart began to race.

"N…no way…" she muttered.

"Testarossa, control yourself," said Signum. "What's the problem?"

"That man – Parkensine," said Bathory to the group, "he's the reason I'm an outcast. Everything that happened to us - Arin, Negati, and me – he ordered out of pure revenge."

"He's a criminal with the full support of his people," said Fate. "And if he's involved in the discussions then I have lost all confidence in Siba listening."

"We cannot turn back because of one roadblock," said Hayate. "This planet is in danger. It needs our support."

"And if he really pulls anything on us, I'll show him who he's messing with!" cried Vita.

"…with your words, right Vita?" asked Hayate.

The hammer knight grunted and her fervor left her as quickly as it came in.

"…Yes, Hayate, with my words…"

At the podium, Alcyone finished her speech.

"We will begin our discussions shortly. Those, however, will be a private matter kept on our planet out of the eyes of Midchilda or anyone watching from afar. We are now officially unveiling Siba's newest line of security, the Dark Screen."

With the General's activation, a signal was sent out from the Siba Capital Bureau building and thousands of machines across the planet that were currently folded into long, teardrop-shaped forms activated from their deployment centers and began to fly rapidly upwards through the sky. They flew rapidly on their magic batteries through the clouds and above, up into the atmosphere of the planet. There, they slowed to the right altitude and hovered in place, activating as several long limbs folded up to run perpendicular to the bodies. When they were all deployed, planes of magic formed in the large spaces between the satellites, forming a complete grid of shapes around the planet with these satellites at the corners. The magic planes glowed bright blue for a few seconds while stabilizing and then they all went completely transparent, invisible to the eye.

Above the grid of magic, Chrono saw it form in from the bridge of the Claudia.

"Admiral!" one of his crew called out, "we're receiving high magic signatures from that barrier!"

Chrono quickly went to the window and stared out at Siba. The barrier had already gone invisible but he knew what he saw.

"Connect me to a feed from the Capital."

"Unable to receive transmission, sir," said another woman.

"Contact Hayate."

"Request failed, sir. Our transmissions aren't getting through either."

The Admiral gritted his teeth and grunted.

"So this is what she meant? Block their planet completely from outside contact?"

Chrono walked back to his seat, pondering just what the consequences would or could be if he just blasted the screen open and destroyed some of those satellites. This isolation from Hayate's group didn't sit well with him, but Siba was still a civilized planet with a military structure and it wasn't like they were cut off on an unknown planet with unknown danger. If all the screen did was block outside communications, then everyone else could hold their own without him.

"Continue monitoring the planet," he ordered. "That is all we can do for now."

On Siba, Hayate had tried the same thing. She tried to call Chrono but her attempts failed too.

"This isn't an AMF," said Signum. "I feel no limitations on my mana or my ability to call Laevatein."

Negati reached for her storage device and she was able to get a live feed from a station in the city.

"And it isn't messing with anything local."

With the crowd disbanding, the three diplomats from Siba walked over to the Midchildan group, minus Parkensine who had disappeared after the presentation was over.

"Kardenis," said Ferraz, " _That's_ where I knew the name from."

Bathory prepared another very neutral statement.

"I'm excited to be back," he said.

"Yeah…yeah…" Ferraz continued, muttering to herself. "So it must've been a relative of yours there."

"Wait…" said Bathory, becoming confused, "a relative? What?"

"Yeah, in the attack. I knew that I knew the name, but-"

"I – I'm sorry, I'm not following along. What about my name?"

Ferraz laughed softly and shook her head.

"Okay, I'll start at the beginning. We were evacuating this district a few days ago. One of the people there was a 'Mr. Kardenis', a real surly old man pushing himself around in his wheelchair."

Bathory's eyes lit up with recognition.

"Dad! Yeah, that's my father. And – you said 'attack'? What happened?"

"See, that's the thing, a bunch of rioters attack us all at once, just disrupting us for the fun of it. We're just trying to protect the community and they think it's hilarious to fight us while we're trying."

"So – my father – is he okay? Was he hurt?"

"Ahh, cuts and bruises but nothing awful. He went to the hospital, might still be there."

Relief washed over Bathory and he nodded with a smile.

"Good to know. Umm…thanks for protecting him."

Ferraz noticed she had an audience with the Midchildan group and she continued, now venting in general.

"You know, the stupid thing is the Bureau just came back to the district and evacuated everyone last night. We got them all under our watch anyways. Those people who attacked us the first time didn't even get anything done in the end except waste our time."

Hayate was about to respond when Ferraz shifted gears and overwrote her.

"Oh, I never introduced us, I'm Lieutenant Ferraz Delahaye and these are Privates Mazzanti and Evantra."

The two kids bowed lightly towards the Midchildan party.

"Hi, I'm Hinode," the girl said.

"Daito," the boy said.

"And you all…well, you don't need any introduction, do you?" asked Ferraz. "Two Aces and the Wolkenritter sent here to Siba…"

Near the back of the Midchidan group, Asana's ears perked up and she leaned forwards.

"Hi, I'm Asana! You probably don't know me. I'm Mister Arin's familiar."

Ferraz just nodded slowly and got back to her point.

"Still, Midchilda's got their blade pressed right against our necks, don't they?"

"I don't want to appear threatening," said Hayate. "The Time Space Administration Bureau is taking the condition we've seen from your planet seriously, however. Midchilda wishes to show that it has great interest in your struggle and has ample resources to assist if requested."

"Well, to start, you're keeping three officers out of duty to sit here and listen to your promises. Think about that. But hey, since I'm here, I'm interested in having a nice chat. We'll see you at the meeting. Hinode? Daito? Come on now."

Ferraz headed off, dragging the confused stares of half the Midchildan group along with her. Daito followed with only a mumbled goodbye as Hinode stayed with the group from off-planet.

"Umm… I'm excited that you're on our planet," she said. "And Daito's excited too, I think."

"We're happy we could be here," said Fate with a smile.

Even if Hinode didn't know that much about Midchilda's legendary Aces, knowing that one of them addressed her was a good feeling. She closed her eyes and giggled, only brought out of it when Ferraz called for her again to get going. Hinode waved once more at the Midchildan party then headed off after her superior.

Bathory was keeping to himself now. Something was eating away at him. Something was building up, and he had to get it resolved.

"Go on without me, I'll be right back," he said as he took off away from the stage. The others looked on with confusion but Bathory paid no mind to them.

 _Parkensine_ , he thought.

He went into the halls again, looking down them at each junction while keeping the same steadied pace. Eventually, he saw the man down one hall, standing at the windows and staring out into the city below.

"Parkensine!...sir…" said Bathory, pausing with distance between them. He could see the man's face reflected in the window, and Parkensine could see Bathory the same way. The old man's eyes drifted to the reflection and then paused. It was a long pause, Parkensine at the window and Bathory in place behind him waiting for a response. Finally, the former General closed his eyes and sighed.

"Bathory…it's been a long time since we last spoke."

Parkensine sounded exactly how he looked – old, tired and weathered. Five more years on top of the decades that had passed for him showed their mark, and the permanent bags under his eyes and wrinkled brow showed that his stress and mental state had worn him down as well.

Bathory knew Parkensine would continue, so he gave the man time as the former General opened his eyes and looked out the window again before proceeding.

"Eventually I was able to put you in the back of my mind instead of occupying my every waking hour as you had done for ages. You were gone…but yet you remained."

Behind Bathory, the scuffling of feet clued him in that someone had come after him. Negati rounded the corner, discovering the scene before her.

"Parkensine!" she yelled. "If you think you can-"

"Negati," Bathory called, putting a hand out to tell her to stop, "wait."

Reluctantly, Negati calmed down and stood behind Bathory, just watching on. Her fingers were clenched but they weren't balling into fists like she was prepared to do.

The pace continued slowly as Parkensine took another deep breath, letting it back out as well. All the while, despite the distraction behind him, he maintained his focus away from it.

"Note this, Bathory. I am no forgiver or forgetter. But I am far too tired to pick up this fight again. The fire has burned itself out and only embers remain. The blood has thickened, the skin is numb and the wound has scabbed over. But still, it remains."

He paused again. Hollow eyes continued to stare away from Bathory, while behind him the younger mage stood tall and firm with his own determined expression. Not a determination to get any answers – after all, what answers did he not have already? – but a determination to know their places in each others' minds and know how it would go if Parkensine really would be across the table in these meetings. The golden hour shined in, a blanketed shadow casting from the backs of the two men. There was a quiet tension – a cardinal silence, lost but headstrong in mid-flight that the men were wading through, measured in gray - the same shade as concrete.

"I understand, sir," Bathory answered. He did not raise his voice, though he had enough reason to. "I've moved on as well. A new life on another world."

"Why have you returned?"

"Because I've seen what's happened to our city - the same things you have seen. I'm not here just to earn a badge that says I balled up my courage and came back. I want to help my home planet in any way I can. A true Siban does not back down, right? That's what your Bureau taught me."

Another heavy silence filled the air as Bathory waited. The seconds ticked by, and finally Parkensine began to move. He turned on his heel and was about to face the other two when he paused halfway through, standing sideways. Another long blink and exhale later, he spoke again.

"I will see your party at the meeting."

He walked down the hall with the outside windows, away from Negati and Bathory. As soon as he did, more footsteps behind the couple told them their group had come to them. They turned, and Signum was leading the others.

"Have you finished your detour?" she asked.

Bathory and Negati glanced at each other. Negati faced Signum again and nodded silently.

"Okay then," barked Agito. She hovered by Signum's shoulder, adding impatient gestures to support her tone of voice. "No more standing around!"

With the group assembled, they made their way to the darkened conference room where the first talk would take place.

* * *

The meeting itself was one of the more expected and predictable parts. The core of the Midchildan group sat on one side of the table while Parkensine and Lieutenant Delahaye were at the direct other end, the two kids flanking them. On the Midchildian side, Hayate had tried to stick with her internal plan, bringing up what they had seen from the streets of Siba and highlighting some of Siba's differing policies in a very academic way. Fate would add on with her experiences seen during her case on Siba and the others would chime in as well when there was a place for it. On the other side, Ferraz and Parkensine drove the majority of their part in the conversations. Both refrained from active hostility but their responses felt like they were just projected _at_ the Midchildans and not spoken _to_ them. They were always objections or deflections that proved Siba was never intending to reach a compromise. Only one moment in particular revealed anything that the Midchildians couldn't have guessed based on how things had gone so far.

"The number of attacks is rising, sir," said Hayate addressing the former General, "and I believe your bureau's actions may be feeding that anger."

"You do not think we are handling this efficiently?" asked the older man.

"You should be lowering the rate of the attacks and restoring order," said Fate. "What you are presently doing is not working."

Parkensine paused for a moment, a wry smile creeping to his lips.

"For once, I agree with you."

The other side was taken aback.

"You…you do?" asked Hayate.

"Our current General believes she knows what she's doing but it's obvious that she doesn't. Too often, she seems to fear what is needed and pray on operations going unseen by the public –withholding our resources to avoid attention and shrinking our effectiveness in the process. May I ask, did you hear about the crashed prisoner transport?"

"N…no, we haven't," said Hayate.

"Alcyone attempted to deliver more prisoners from other cities to our new expansion with a light crew and under cover of night. She feared the attention it would bring if done with more security but missed that the people have picked up on her tricks. They attacked and toppled the convoy, defeating the Bureau presence that _was_ there and setting free dangerous allies to their cause."

The Midchildan side were silent in various states of shock. Next to Parkensine, Ferraz glanced over nervously.

"Geez…throwing her under the bus, sir…"

"I am just making my opinion known. Alcyone is mishandling our forces and if her efforts are left to their own accord, she will lose all control."

"Surely this violence cannot be completely blamed on her," Hayate said. "It is increasing now but was there no unrest or unease under your command?"

"I could control it," replied Parkensine. "I could sever those threads of the spinning webs and bury any outbreak under the power of our Bureau. We still have that power available without needing outside help. We just need some internal efforts to reclaim it again…"

The meeting ran for several hours before adjourning with little progress made towards the goal. The full lights of the conference room came on and the Siban group prepared to leave. The three aside from Parkensine departed quickly, with Ferraz pushing Daito and Hinode along again. Parkensine stayed to escort the Midchildian group to the front. The plan was that several days would be needed anyways, so hotel rooms were booked for the visitors and the party had transportation prepared to take them there.

"I hope our next meeting can bring us closer to our goal," said Hayate with a smile, though her eyes barely hid the doubt even she had for that happening.

"Until that point, you can resume any communications required with your planet," said Parkensine.

With an order, the barrier above the planet began to fizzle out, though the satellites remained in orbit. As soon as it was gone, Hayate received transmission on her communication device.

"Go ahead, Chrono," she said.

The Admiral's face appeared on a holoscreen in front of the group.

"I can see you again," he said. "Did anything happen?"

"Nothing unexpected," said Fate. "We have received excellent treatment."

She glanced quickly across the table, noting from Parkensine's amused expression that her sarcasm was picked up on.

"Good to know," continued Chrono. "I'll follow up before your next meeting."

Hayate waved goodbye and ended the transmission. She stood and stretched, feeling limber again after hours of sitting. Her group stood as well, waiting for the next cue to proceed on.

"If you would follow me, we can get you to your vehicle," said Parkensine, standing in the doorway. He turned and walked out, assuming the rest would follow. The Midchildans formed a loose circle in the room as they went over what had happened.

"So, what do you think?" asked Hayate.

"He's not directly insulting us to our faces," replied Fate, "which is better treatment than last time. Still, Siba's plan is obvious to us all."

"We're wasting our time putting up with this," said Vita. "Let's cut the crap and get this planet a wake-up call."

"One preliminary meeting would not be enough evidence to justify further action," said Arin. "It would be wise to continue until it is obvious to the superiors of the Bureau what the situation is."

"You're right," said Hayate. "Rein, once we are out of here, please make a summary of our discussion and send it to the Claudia."

"Sure thing, Miss Hayate!" said Reinforce Zwei.

The group finally moved out of the room and over to the doors. They could see Parkensine in the lobby, looking out to the plaza with his brow more furrowed than normal. The Midchildian group made their way over and looked out as well, all taken aback by what they were seeing. Between the front of the building and the road was a large mob of angry people held back with temporary metallic blockades. The physical barriers held them back from the space directly in front of the Bureau building but the occupiers were multiple rows deep behind the walls. Several officers from the Siban Bureau stood with their backs to the crowd as security, in their barrier jackets and with their devices active.

"…uhh…" Negati uttered, "what is that?"

Parkensine stood firm, clasping his hands behind his back and keeping his chin up.

"Evidently, some people do not like the idea of your involvement."

The man stepped forward, towards the doors that automatically slid open when he got close. The sound of the crowd amplified without the walls muffling them and the group in the lobby was flooded with the indistinct noise of angered protests. They made their way outside, seeing clearly the situation in front of them. An angered mob sent jagged stares at them, backed up with harsh language and expressions. Across this crowd was a black limousine parked on the frontage road, and the barriers were set up to provide a thin path through the noise and over to the vehicle.

Fate's eyes scanned the mob before her as she leaned in towards Parkensine.

"Sir, you cannot be serious."

"They are well within their right if they keep to themselves," the man responded. "And besides, surely this shouldn't scare a mage of your caliber."

The Enforcer's eyes scanned the crowd again. While it was true that at least she or Signum or Vita could send them running if they needed to, that would be a last-ditch operation. The diplomatic thing to do would be to make their way peacefully through the clearing provided.

Signum grunted. If this was all for Siba's amusement then it would be best to just get it over quickly.

"Stay behind me, Mistress."

The flame knight went forwards and Hayate followed. Rein and Vita went after, followed by Fate and capped off by the former Sibans. Arin had a neutral expression but the Kardenis couple were on edge and Asana was extremely worried. She glanced at both sides of the crowd, teeth chattering while her ears and tail both drooped downward.

Signum reached where the path tightened in and she pressed on. The thin path forced the group to move down it single-file. Less than a meter away, on both sides, were people yelling all sorts of obscenities at the group. They gripped the barriers or shook their fists at her and the rest of the group as she pushed through, always close enough to reach for them if the so wanted to. Signum just kept her focus on the path in front of her

Eventually, it happened. Someone reached out and grabbed the mage's arm, keeping their grip tight even as the woman pulled away. Signum only had time to grunt and reach for her device when one of the Siban officers came in, rapidly reaching for the offender and yanking them over the barricade and into the path. Right in front of Signum, the officer raised his staff-like device and slammed the end of it into the attacker, jolting them with a powerful spell that caused the man to cry out and twitch violently like from an electrical shock. After the spell was done, a second officer came over to help and the two dragged the motionless body out of the way. In a flash, the blindingly fast violence was over. Pausing quickly to check the crowd again, Signum noted that the action had made everyone back down enough to suppress any further incident. She pushed on, making her way to the open door of the limousine and getting in.

Behind her, most of the group did as she did – kept their eyes forward and their heads down. However, Arin was unphased by the situation since fear, worry, or any other emotion like that was gone for him. He checked the crowd plainly and at one point his interest was drawn to two women who were standing on the front row behind the barrier. Both were wearing hooded jackets to partly hide themselves and one of the women buried her hands in the jacket pockets. That person had brown hair while the woman next to her had light teal-green hair that fell messily around her face. Perhaps it was the unusual hair color that drew Arin's attention, or perhaps it was that these two were acting differently than the rest of the group around them. While the rest hollered on, these two were silent and merely watched. It was almost like they were analyzing the group.

Arin passed by them quickly and then he and his familiar were the last to enter the car. The door shut behind them and they found room on one end of the side seats. Signum with Agito, Hayate, Vita, Reinforce Zwei, and Fate were on one side while Bathory, Negati, Arin and Asana were across from them. The vehicle started to drive off, leaving the protesting crowd in the rear-view mirror. Nothing was in their way once they were on the main roads.

Hayate's comm device pulsed. She activated it and Chrono appeared again.

"This is a _circus_ , Hayate!" he said angrily. "It's one big joke to them, nothing more."

"I prepared for the risks," said Hayate. "If we are truly put in danger, we should be able to defend ourselves."

"This is a slap in the face to the Bureau itself."

"It's toxic, that's what is it," said Agito.

"And scary…" whimpered Asana.

"Our options here is that we can reach a compromise with the planet's Bureau, or they can prove they need an intervention," said Hayate. "We are in this together until the High Admirals make a decision…and if Siba keeps it up like this, we may not need to see much more."

"You're right," said Chrono. "But I'm still going to worry about what will happen next."

"We'll be fine," said Hayate. "Thank you, Chrono."

The two broke off the call again. Bathory's device had been waiting patiently and when the air was free, it began to pulse.

[MASTER – I HAVE LOCATED OLD MASTER]

"Dad?" asked Bathory. "Where is he, Aphelion?"

The gem began to glow and it projected a 3-D model of Siba Capital General Hospital. It began to pinpoint in on a specific floor and room, but just knowing the building was good enough for Bathory.

"Umm…Hayate?" he asked. "If you don't need me for a few hours…"

The Commander smiled.

"We can arrange for personal transportation. That shouldn't be an issue."

"If you could, please," said Bathory. "There's a house…and family…that I need to see – that Negati and I need to see."

"Good catch," said Negati jokingly. "He's my problem too."

The couple laughed lightly together. Next to them, Arin looked across the aisle.

"I should also request transportation if you could accommodate that."

"This is your home as well," Hayate answered. "I'll get that done shortly."

* * *

The vehicle got to the hotel without further incident and the group got their keys. After everyone checked in and set up, Hayate arranged transportation for the two groups and they arrived within the hour. Bathory and Negati took one car and departed for the hospital. The drive over was a mix between nostalgia for Bathory on the streets he hadn't seen since before his incident and the dawning proof of the rebellion and riots throughout the city. Patrol vehicles passed by with a consistent rhythm over burned or broken road, watching for developments and keeping all ears on the radio comms. Overall, alongside the smile Bathory kept on his face were drooped shoulders and several sighs of reflection.

Finally, they made it to the hospital Bathory's father was at. They parked and made their way in, verifying the room Aphelion had located the man at and traveling to meet him.

"Here we are," said Bathory. "You two will finally get to meet each other."

"It's ridiculous that he doesn't know," said Negati. "How can he be your father and never once try and talk to you since your incident?"

"A lot changed that night. That's…that all I can tell myself."

"Surely you two can talk by this point."

"That's the hope. I'm here now…and you are too…and I'm no criminal anymore."

The two stopped in front of the door to the man's room. Taking one more deep breath, Bathory pushed the door open slightly and knocked. From inside the room, a tired voice called out.

"Who is it?"

Bathory looked at Negati and smiled.

"Hey dad, it's me."

He pushed the door open and stepped in.


	7. Spirit Photography

**Chapter 7 - Spirit Photography**

* * *

Siba

 _"Hey dad, it's us again. Negati and me. We finally made it."_

 _The two looked around the indoor section of the transportation port they were in. Large glass walls revealed the sunny, ocean-side locale outside. Bathory turned again to face the screen._

 _"I'm sure you can see what it's like but I'll try and remember to call with some more updates. We're both pretty excited, so, uhh, we'll see how it goes. Bye."_

The transmission ended and the projected screen defaulted to its generic background. In the room, it hovered in front of a bed where an older man sat, covered below the waist by the plain hospital sheets. Two others stood next to the bed, both still dressed in the blue uniforms of the TSAB Naval division. They were watching the screen while the older man slouched and glanced away from the projection instead.

On the side table next to the bed, a dark green gem flickered with light.

[SHALL I CONTINUE, MY MASTER]

"Yes, Aphelion," said Bathory.

[LOADING NEXT TRANSMISSION]

The next video call Bathory had sent his father appeared on the screen and began to play. It showed Bathory and Negati sitting outside, lit by several lights close to them but seated under a dark night sky.

 _"Ahh, hey dad, it's me again," Bathory said, happy but also loose like he was worn out or tired. "It's been a few days over here. Trip's going great. Ahh, time's already flying by. Can you believe it? But anyways, we've already had quite the adventure, I'd…I'd start on it but, like, it's late and we don't really want to go over every little detail now…I'll have to tell you later. Bye again."_

The transmission ended and the same thing happened as before – the generic background of Aphelion's screen appeared and it otherwise hovered motionless.

Bathory glanced at his father. There was no change in him. No acknowledgement of anything from those messages recorded years ago.

On the stand, Aphelion pulsed again.

[SHALL I CONTINUE]

Bathory closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh.

"No, Aphelion. That's enough."

Negati turned the lights on as Bathory slowly wound Aphelion's cord up around his lower right arm. The silence in the hospital room grew thick again and Bathory forced himself to break it.

"I'm glad to see you're okay. I heard from someone at the evacuation what happened there."

Negati took her place again next to Bathory, now both watching the quiet and unresponsive man. The resemblance to his son was obvious enough in his basic features. He was average height and skinny given the immobility outside of a wheelchair. Shorter, greying hair revealed his age along with the heavy creases and lines permanently etched on his expression through years of shame and sorrow. Still his eyes stayed cast down in front of him, avoiding the couple standing next to his bed.

"Sir, this is your son," said Negati. "He's been trying to have a normal conversation with you for years. How many messages has he sent hoping you would finally answer? And how many times did you ignore those and leave us in silence? Can you please humor him?"

The older man sighed lightly. His eyes drifted to the other side of the room to look out the window.

"Things have been different since your incident, Bathory," he said softly.

"I know," his son responded, "I can't imagine how tough it must have been without me. I'm sorry I couldn't be there."

"Bathory, don't apologize," said Negati.

"I thought your future would be bright on Siba," spoke the man. "You would be an excellent force on our planet's bureau. You would be better, smarter, and stronger than I could ever be. You were my son, after all."

"He still is," Negati interjected. "And I'm your daughter-in-law. It might be nice to get to know each other."

"I don't know how long we can be here," said Bathory. "On Siba, I mean - all these talks and discussions. But I'm not here forever. I have somewhere to go back to. Somewhere that isn't Siba. So if you want to talk, we need to get started."

The older man's focus drifted slowly to the rest of the room. It still never made its way over to his son.

"There is something you must understand," he said. "You and I can never go back to the way things were."

Negati grunted and crossed her arms.

"Doesn't mean you can't move forwards."

The man let that comment go as he did with all previous comments. Another slow sigh was all the younger couple got in return.

"Well…" said Bathory, "while we're out, I'm going to show Negati our home. The place I grew up. And if there's more free time in our visit, I'd love to return. It's…it's great seeing you again, dad."

The predictable answer came next. Nodding to himself, Bathory slowly left the room and Negati followed.

* * *

Bathory knew the streets of Siba Capital perfectly. Through the heart of the city to the highway that cut through it, he navigated with all the landmarks, signs, and intuitive knowledge he gained from growing up here. On certain streets or parts of the city, brief moments from patrols or battles from his late teens or even stretching back a decade or more popped into his mind again. The blanket of adolescence and development felt warm and the feeling only increased as the car made its way out of the main urban development and out to the housing area the man grew up in. It went down the off-ramp and paused at the bottom before turning onto a residential street.

Negati sat in the passenger seat next to her husband.

"I hope I didn't make too rough an impression," she said.

"What, on dad? I'm glad you spoke up. He's not listening to _me_. And besides, in another version of this life he'd have loved you. A bureau mage too, a ground forces fighter…and Double-A as well."

"Double-A Minus," Negati corrected.

"Same range," Bathory said. "But still, far better you'd be on the Bureau in his eyes than someone who wasn't. The Bureau was everything to him – and once he got injured and I showed potential, it was now everything 'to me' as well. I don't mind that at all. Siba taught it well enough that I did believe it myself…"

As they were heading down the road, Aphelion suddenly began to pulse again.

[INCOMING TRANSMISSION]

"Go ahead, Aphelion."

From the device, another screen appeared in front of the two. On it was a man their age in the brown coat of the TSAB ground forces.

"This is the Siba Capital TSAB, ordering you to stop."

"What?" asked Negati. "Why?"

"You are heading into an unauthorized area."

"Unauthorized? How i-"

"By order of the Bureau, this district was evacuated and no unauthorized personnel is allowed to enter. Turn around and leave or we will have to respond."

"This is Second Lieutenant Bathory Kardenis of the TSAB," said Bathory. "I'm requesting to get authorized."

"And First Lieutenant Negati Kardenis if that's enough," the redhead added.

On the other end, the man seemed flustered.

"Just stop right now, okay, and I'll see what we can do."

Bathory quickly slowed the car and pulled off to the side of the road. He parked and the video feed on the screen was paused, showing the generic background once again. He and Negati sat in silence, waiting on the response and also looking out at the landscape around them. It looked like a perfectly normal, ordinary part of a modern city. Though it was only now that they noticed how ghostly quiet and empty it was. No other cars passed them from either direction for the several seconds they waited.

"How could it get like this?" asked Negati. She didn't sound angry, more somber and reflective, understanding now a magnified view of the effects the uprising had on the Capital.

"Taken from their homes…" said Bathory, "ordered around, pushed around… the Bureau tells them it knows what it's doing, but…"

"It's hard to feel safe when the Bureau can't stop this."

"They need us," said Bathory. "They need someone. Siba can't fix this on their own."

Eventually, the screen came back to life with the Bureau mage on the other end.

"Okay, you have thirty minutes," he said. "But no more. You need to be out of there after that."

Bathory smiled.

"Understood. That's fine, thank you."

The call ended as he started the car and began driving again. Heading down the road, he grunted.

"Thirty minutes - that's not fine. I shouldn't have settled."

"If you didn't, we wouldn't have gotten any time," said Negati.

"I guess you're right. It's not great, but it'll have to do."

A couple minutes into that time limit, the car pulled up the driveway of the basic single-story home that matched those all around it except for one obvious feature. Instead of the stairs leading to the front entrance, a longer ramp with handrails led from the yard elevation to the door. The two mages went up this path, then Bathory reached for the door and opened it.

He stepped inside, glancing around the interior he hadn't seen in years. Negati followed, checking the place out for the first time. Immediately she noticed that very little was higher up on the walls, or at least little that would need to be reached for. Most things were chest-height.

"Huh, this is interesting," she said.

"Oh, the setup? Yeah, it's because dad's in his chair, so-"

"Right, right, I see."

Bathory did a slow tour of the home, checking the main rooms to see how everything was doing and what was different than he remembered. Aside from the footsteps across the floor and the pair's light breathing, there was little noise. Nothing made a sound outside from the abandoned streets.

The house had been abandoned quickly. It must have been a sudden evacuation, unexpected and unprepared for. There was a mood that felt like something unfinished – interrupted. Whether it was the simple, immediate interruption on the day of the evacuation that caused it, or whether it was something deeper that stretched back years and involved Bathory himself, was unknown.

"I remember this house…" he said quietly, "like a half-forgotten song."

He took a step, emitting a creak from the floorboard and pausing once again. There in the silence, a demon of nostalgic echoes and regret dragged itself across the floor to watch the scene, finding its mark in the quiet moments and heavy thoughts as it had done for endless centuries. At the same time, every angel in the dust that dripped off the walls and floated through the air tumbled to the surface, resounding in the empty rooms and waiting for rot and gravity and time to give it the chance to seep its way into the earth.

Eventually he made his way to the bedrooms, first checking his father's master room and scoping it out the same as his efforts so far but then looking into his own room. He paused in the doorway. It was the same as he remembered it – same as it was the day he left for his final hours on the Siban Bureau and the same way it was during his short and unexpected trip back during his attempted reintegration. His father has never destroyed or disassembled it in the years since the incident – only ignored it. It remained as a time capsule to the younger man's childhood.

Bathory walked in slowly, eyes darting around the room. Past the desk and drawers, his focus settled on the bed, covers still disturbed slightly from when he was here before. Hesitating, he turned and sat on the mattress, sinking slightly into the padding. Then, he paused again to bask in the feeling. Negati had been following along, humoring Bathory as he made his tour, and she sat down next to him. She smiled and bobbed lightly back and forth.

Bathory felt the covers underneath him and laid down, resting on top of the bed and staring up at the ceiling. Negati followed, laying down as well. She held Bathory's hand, interlocking their fingers. Her ring and his band tapped against each other softly.

"Well," she said, "how is it? Does it feel like it did before?"

Bathory shut his eyes, letting his mind fill in the details his eyes could not. Common sounds from the rest of the house that he could imagine perfectly soon came to mind. Quiet mornings and lazy days off, sounds and smells from the kitchen, the sound from the news as dad increased the volume, or even Arin's voice as he would come over early on some of the Breach Team's days off to hang out outside of work. Along with that, the hand currently clasping his brought different memories - him and another partner, the other mage on his and Arin's team and a girl who loved Bathory as much as he loved her. Kaisa – her name, her skin, her eyes and laugh, everything teenage hormones latched on to. His eyes still shut and the hand still in his, he traveled back to nights preparing the couch for her to stay over and then quietly tip-toeing away, closing the door and falling to the mattress, whispering and learning and touching until they were dizzy stupid. Then - hands held tight the same way, arms draped and bodies still for long enough to believe the sun moved around them rather than the other way around.

On the bed, Bathory grimaced. He took a breath, shuttering just enough to worry if Negati heard it and enough to know he had to return to the present. He opened his eyes and sat up slowly. He stared at the wall for a second or two.

"Uncomfortably so," he said, finally responding to his partner's question.

Negati sprang up as well, looking over at Bathory.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Negati nodded and followed her partner's lead.

"It's before your incident and everything else that happened."

"But…that's all happened now and there's nothing I can do about it. I can't hide away and wish it could go back to the way it was because that's not possible."

He smiled lightly and glanced over at Negati.

"And hey, a lot of it turned out better and more beautiful than I could have ever imagined."

Negati smiled brightly and so did Bathory. He leaned over and the couple held each other happily.

* * *

Elsewhere in Siba Capital, Arin and Asana walked to their car. They had changed to civilian clothes and were exploring the city, Asana taking in its sights for the first time and Arin more methodically comparing the city's state to what he remembered of it. People were still out in public and doing what they set out to do, though the atmosphere did seem tense and Bureau patrols went through the area often.

"So Mister Arin," said his familiar, "you came here a lot?"

"I was assigned to this area throughout my time with the Bureau," he responded.

"Alright," she said. Her tail twitched about briefly as a light breeze went through. "Was it fun?"

"I believe I did enjoy it, yes. I had some experiences in this area with Bathory's team."

"Oh yeah?"

"It is one of those situations where I am affected in misinterpreting my memories. I cannot picture moments with Bathory in them though the logs prove otherwise."

Asana reached the car again and opened the passenger door.

"Oh…sorry to remind you…"

"That is no issue."

Arin opened the driver's side door and was about to step in when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He saw a small group of people further down the road, peeking halfway around a wall and watching him. Though they were somewhat far away, Arin's focus quickly snapped to one woman's teal-green hair. Immediately he knew it was the same woman who he noticed at the Headquarters when being escorted away. Her outfit was the same, and the taller woman with brown hair who accompanied her then was also staring the man down currently. The moment didn't last long as the two women ducked around the wall after that. Perhaps they hoped Arin didn't notice them, but he had.

He got in and shut the door, starting the car again. He kept what he'd noticed to himself since he needed more evidence to be completely sure what was happening. As he drove off, he intentionally took his time, telegraphing any turns and lane changes enough for anyone to follow. Soon, he saw in the rear-view another car trying to speed up around the rest of the pack to close the gap, and when that car got a comfortable spot behind him, the occupants in the front looked very familiar.

"Asana," he said plainly to his passenger, "I believe we are being followed."

The foxgirl's eyes went wide and her fox ears stood up tall.

"Wh-what!?" she cried, staring to turn around to look behind her.

"Don't," barked Arin. "We should avoid cluing them in. Look quickly in the rearview."

Asana shot a glance at the mirror, seeing two young women in the front seats of the car behind them. Though the view was muddled through the many screens, she did notice the odd hair color of the passenger.

"Do you recognize them?" her master asked.

"Um…n…no…"

"They were present in the crowd outside the Capital's Headquarters."

"Oh…I didn't really look around. That was really scary," said Asana.

"I noticed they were not acting like their brethren. They were not reacting with the crowd. They were analyzing us."

Asana nodded weakly before lowering her head in worry.

"So they're following us…"

"I wonder what their intentions are. I believe there may be something more going on."

Arin turned onto the highway and the other car continued to follow. They accelerated and were soon traveling among the more densely packed cars on the highway. Again, Arin tested his pursuers, attempting to put distance between them and watching as the others responded in return. Asana glanced up at the mirror every so often, growing worried more and more as the pursuers kept up.

"Um, Mister Arin, should we call for help?"

Arin had been scoping out the cars on the highway around him, waiting for the perfect moment to do something sudden. Coincidentally, an excellent opportunity had just presented itself.

"I am interested in getting answers on my own. Brace yourself, Asana."

Before the familiar could respond, Arin suddenly slammed on the brakes and swerved into a tight spot in the lane next to him. Among the sudden jerking and the loud horns of the drivers around them, Asana shut her eyes and cried out in fear. Arin remained unfazed. He kept his foot on the pedals, braking with the other cars as he watched the car that was following him get stuck in the other lane and travel past him. Once the pack opened up a bit from the temporary near-jam, Arin snuck into the other lane and was now following behind the other car.

He glanced over and saw his familiar still shutting her eyes, gripping the seat with both hands.

"Asana, the moment has passed."

The foxgirl slowly opened her eyes. She looked around, ensuring that she was still alive.

"Sorry about that…" she mumbled.

She looked up and noticed the other car was now in front of them. The pieces came together in her head and she nodded.

"Okay, so we're following them now…"

"Indeed. The hunters are now being hunted."

In the heavy traffic, there was no opportunity for the other car to escape and finally it went onto an off-ramp and left the highway. Arin followed, reaching down for the standby form of his device.

"Be prepared for a battle, Asana."

The familiar nodded and tried to prepare. The car in front turned onto a side road and Arin maintained position. As the road went on, he watched for their followers' next action.

Suddenly, a teal-green Belkan triangle formed on the ground in front of Arin's car. When he drove over it, several thick strands of magic rushed up out of it and slammed into the bottom of Arin's vehicle. They tossed the car up and wrapped around the engine, violently tearing it out as the car began to roll and crumple. More magic triangles formed around on the walls nearby and more bindings shot out of them, wrapping around the vehicle and suspending it in the air while crushing and folding it inwards. The window next to Arin shattered and the mage quickly reached for his familiar.

"Asana, go!"

Through their own magic connection, he forced Asana to change into her animal form with a bright flash of light. The smaller fox fell through the open window and out of the car, dropping to the ground and then transforming again. This time she was in her barrier jacket and she readied her magic to fight.

The other car had stopped and the occupants got out. Along with the two women, there were two others with non-descript height, build, or outfit. They activated basic civilian-grade devices and fired several shots down the street in both directions to scatter any crowd.

Behind Asana, her master's arm reached through a small opening, holding a grey gem. Retrigal transformed into the long bladed staff and the grey glaives of energy began to spin. Arin swung it into the crushed shell, cutting apart enough to show his upper body. He was almost upside-down, suspended several feet in the air. Below the suspended car, more bindings shot out from the triangles and wrapped themselves around Retrigal. They tried to pull the device out of the man's hand, but he kept hold.

The green-haired woman and her female companion walked closer to the two. They remained in their street clothes which were all basic, unassuming, and slightly oversized. The sleeves on the brown-haired woman's jacket went down to cover her hands.

"Easy, girl," said the brown-haired woman. "You don't want anything to happen to him."

The green bindings pulled at the device harder and Arin fought to hold on. He tried to push out of the vehicle as well but he was tightly trapped at the chest.

"Retrigal," he ordered, "channel my energy. Break these bindings."

He focused his mana into his device and the staff began to glow as it received the mana. It condensed the energy and pulsed it out in one quick wave, intending to break the spell keeping a grip on it. However, the green binds remained strong. Arin grunted and looked up at the attackers.

"You are more capable than I was expecting."

The two others who were scattering the crowd kept their devices active but stood out of the way behind the women as if they were bodyguards. The green-haired one took a step forward, moving more loosely and aloof than her partner.

"I appreciate the compliment," she said with a somewhat light, airy tone of voice. "I'm Dreamer by the way, and she's Dancer."

Dancer stood firm, glaring at Asana.

"You, familiar!" she demanded. "Stand down."

"No way am I doing that!" Asana shouted. She bared her teeth and primed for an attack. In response, Dreamer reached her hand out casually and clenched her fingers too, tightening the binds that encircled the wrecked car. As they squeezed in, Arin grimaced from the pain and Asana quickly looked back.

"Mister Arin!"

"Stand down now if you want her to stop," Dancer said, raising her voice.

Asana was frightened. Not often had she been this helpless. Her eyes darted between the assailants and her master again.

"M…Mister Arin, do I…"

Arin took a deep breath, partly to push against the confining pain but also to respond. Even with the grimace, his tone of voice was monotone and no hint of emotion could be heard.

"It is evident you know who we are and I assume you have a message for us. If you will not escalate your attack further, then we will listen."

Dreamer smiled, nodding her head slowly.

"Very good."

She opened her hand and the bindings loosened. It wasn't enough for Arin to escape, but he could breathe again. Dancer came forward to stand evenly with Dreamer.

"On your knees, and stay there."

Defeated, Asana slouched forward and transformed out of her barrier jacket. She fell to her knees, feeling the rough, hard surface of the road below her. Dancer walked up and placed her hand on Asana's head. She watched the foxgirl's eyes dart further and further away.

"Stay calm, girl. Keep your head down," said Dancer.

Dreamer walked past Dancer and Asana, stopping in front of her captive. She flexed one of her fingers again and the bindings around the car pulled it higher up so Arin's eyes met hers head on. He pulled at his device some more, but it was still being held in place tightly.

"I recognized you from the assembly," said Arin. "That is how I knew you were following us."

"I knew you weren't like the rest of them," said Dreamer. "You saw us when no one else did. We could have followed the other two, but I chose you instead. I had to see more."

"So what is your message?" asked Arin.

"Midchilda needs to stay out of this!" yelled Dancer.

"Dancer, please," said Dreamer, glancing at her partner quickly, "let's work our way to that." She faced Arin again. "Midchilda doesn't truly know about Siba. They see the fires and come to put those out. You're just reactionary watchdogs trying to keep the Time Space Administration Bureau in charge like you are on every planet."

"I understand your challenges," answered Arin. "Siban philosophy operates differently in their goals and ethics than the governance set by Midchilda."

Dreamer laughed and pushed some hair from her face.

"Oh, what a soft answer. If you really understand our problems, then yell it out with some conviction! We've been kicked to the ground and stepped on more, all easy targets to the Bureau since we don't wear their uniforms. This – all our work – is just giving back to them."

"I sense your frustrations. I can report that Midchilda is not here only to restore the Siban Bureau. We will demand that the treatments demonstrated by them is-"

"Shut up," ordered Dreamer, not loud but still intense. "You're not gonna sell me anything. I don't care about your story."

"Then what is yours?"

Dreamer scoffed. She glanced at her partner briefly again.

"Wow, that not something anyone asks us. Since I want to get to the point before the blood goes to your head, I'll just tell you what Siba sees in me. A criminal record. A permanent mark. A deviant for life now that I'm in their records. And Dancer…you want to show him?"

The brunette took her hand off Asana's lowered head and let her sleeve fall. The robotic hands and arms turned and twisted.

"Cybernetics." said Arin.

"Yep," said Dancer. "I took back my life at the cost of throwing it away. Funny, right? Now I'm a walking target to every Bureau mage that sees it."

"Midchilda will give you the chance you are looking for," said Arin. "Both of you will receive fair treatment with us. Release me now, and I will escort you to our party where we can provide an opportunity off this planet."

The green-haired woman stuck her hands in her pockets and sighed.

"That's nice, but I'm not going to let this planet win like that. For all it did to me, and her, and the rest of us, we're gonna make sure we burn it to the ground."

There were sirens roaring in the distance – sirens from Bureau vehicles that were drawing closer.

"Dreamer, we're on limited time," said Dancer. "How are you doing? Are you feeling faint?"

Her partner thought for a moment.

"No…I…I haven't felt the drain yet…"

She quickly re-focused her attention.

"Right. Okay, here's a message you're going to pass on. The Eye of Belka is watching and it knows the way things need to be. Your bureau, Siba's Bureau, none of you can stop this. We will sing this into being as if we were its choir. Now, I'm sorry, but I can't leave you with the capacity to keep following us. Dancer?"

Her partner nodded, balling one of her cybernetic hands into a fist. She started walking up to Arin and the man followed her gaze to see it was on his exposed hand and arm. He quickly tried releasing Retrigal and pull his arm away but another teal-green binding flew up from the ground, wrapping around his wrist and pulling down. When Arin lost his grip on Retrigal, it fell out of reach and it reverted into standby form.

Asana looked back with terror.

"No!"

She tried to spring up, but Dreamer flicked her wrist and summoned another magic triangle below the familiar. More bindings shot from the ground around Asana's arms and she was held tightly in place. She couldn't even get her legs under her.

"Please, don't hurt him!"

Dancer walked right up to Arin and eyed the man's arm. It was pulled taught and the man's elbow was pointed forwards. She moved her hand near it and Arin realized her plan. He struggled harder, grunting with exertion as he fought to prevent this.

Without saying anything, Dancer brought her arm back and thrust it forwards into the elbow, snapping his arm violently. Along with the sound of the breaking bone, Arin cried out in agony. He shut his eyes tightly and the pain jolted through him.

"No!" Asana screamed. She pulled with all her might to get free but she couldn't move.

Dancer pulled back. She nodded and Dreamer released the bindings around the trapped car. It dropped to the ground and re-positioned so Arin was basically sideways, laying just above the ground. The two backed away further then released Asana's bindings, watching as the familiar raced to her master and quit her focus on the attackers. Dancer and Dreamer motioned for the others and the whole group got in their car, driving off.

Asana knelt by her master. He stared at the sky, breathing heavily to try and deal with the pain.

"Mister Arin," she said, "we need to get you out!"

Weakly, Arin reached out with his other arm.

"R…Retrigal…Asana, please hand me my device."

The foxgirl reacted, reaching for the grey gem and giving it to Arin. Though distracted by the pain, he activated the staff again. With some help, he started cutting himself out of the car's wreckage. As the sirens got closer, he pushed himself out and laid on the road, trying to keep pressure on the broken arm.

"Mister Arin," Asana pleaded, "Please be okay."

"I…I am not in mortal danger, Asana," her master replied. "Please assist in getting me to safety as quickly as possible."

With the sirens racing up the road, Asana stood up and waved frantically to get their attention.

* * *

The tour had completed, and Bathory shut the door on the house. He and Negati needed to leave before their time ran out. They had a couple minutes though, and they shared a short moment on the porch, looking back at the home once again. Negati turned to leave and Bathory started to follow. However, his device began to pulse.

[INCOMING TRANSMISSION FROM – USER, HAYATE YAGAMI]

"Commander Hayate?" Bathory asked. "Answer, Aphelion."

He paused and Negati came back. They both looked at the screen formed in front of them. In front of them, the short brunette was on it.

"Bathory, Negati, I hope you enjoyed your trip well."

"We are," said Negati. "Thank you for letting us go."

Hayate smiled quickly then turned serious again.

"I'm afraid though you will have to cut it short. A new development has appeared for the situation – and it concerns your friend, Arin Vesceron."

"Arin?" asked Bathory. "What's going on?"

Hayate glanced down momentarily and sighed.

"He has been attacked and is being transported to the hospital as we speak."

The mage couple's eyes shot open wide.

"The hospital? Arin? I – we'll head straight there!"

"We will do the same," said Hayate.

She ended the transmission and the mages ran to the car. They jumped in quick and Bathory backed out into the street. They drove off, wasting no time.

* * *

 _Sick matriarch -_  
 _We are worlds apart_  
 _Your dysfunction rips_  
 _The roots from my heart._  
 _I swear that I'm trying._  
 _I swear that I'm trying, but_  
 _You don't know what my pain feels like._

Converge - _I Can Tell You About Pain_


	8. The Brave and the Snake

**Chapter 8 - The Brave and the Snake**

* * *

Siba

Arin laid in his hospital bed. His right arm was in a cast, and there were faintly glowing traces of magic on and below it that were accelerating his recovery. Asana was in her fox form, laying on his lap to try and comfort her master. She rested her head on Arin's chest and Arin rubbed the back of her head with his other hand. Standing in the room were the Midchildan members of the diplomatic party.

"It seems like he's stable," said Signum. "Should we continue on?"

Hayate crossed her arms, considering their options.

"We should get him back to Midchilda," she said. "Shamal will help faster than anyone on this planet can and I do not want to leave anyone alone on Siba after this if we can help it. Speaking of…"

She glanced around.

"Where are the…um…the others at?"

"Our friends?" asked Vita. "They're in the hall."

"Let them in. This discussion affects all of us."

Fate opened the door to the room. She looked out and spotted the couple, waving them on it. Bathory and Negati entered.

"Sorry," said Negati, "we thought maybe this was some top-secret Midchildan meeting."

"Hey, Arin," said Bathory. "How are you doing?"

The stoic man breathed in lightly. He scratched his familiar behind the ears and Asana pressed harder against his chest.

"It is unpleasant but currently manageable," he answered.

"I should have invited you along," said Bathory. "Maybe if there were four of us together, then…"

"It was my decision originally to allow us to separate," said Hayate. "In a way, I set this in motion."

"Hayate, you couldn't have known!" cried Vita.

"But it reveals there is more of a plan here than we expected," said Fate. "Past the initial reactions from the public, we were not confronted when we were in one group."

Hayate nodded and finished that line of though.

"They followed and waited until we splintered and then went for a smaller target."

"And so you want to get back to Midchilda to treat him," said Signum.

"Right, right," said Hayate. "I believe we should regroup on Midchilda before resuming our mission here. Our involvement is not over, but this event is an unexpected turn and I am not comfortable continuing as if nothing happened."

Her knights and Fate nodded, and an awkward second or two went by before Bathory and Negati realized the group was waiting on them.

"Ahh, y-yeah that's fine with us," said Negati. "We saw what we needed to for the moment. Nothing pressing – I mean, like, more pressing than our safety. That's pretty important."

Hayate took a deep breath.

"Rein, please contact General Alcyone. Let's update Siba about our plan."

"Yes, Miss Hayate!"

The small unison device opened a holo-screen and started to contact the General. As that was being set up, Hayate sighed once more.

"Another conversation I really don't want to have…but what's one more after a full day of them?"

* * *

Dreicher Alcyone sat at her desk, looking at the screen in front of her. She smiled, looking mostly professional but letting a light smirk slip through the cracks at the edge of her mouth.

"But Commander, you've only just arrived."

"I know that," said Hayate from the screen.

Next to the section showing Hayate and her group on Alcyone's screen, there were two other feeds that were part of the call. Ferraz looked on from one of them while Daito and Hinode looked on from another.

"It's hot here on Siba," said Ferraz. She tried much less to hide the smug satisfaction she felt at the current predicament. "Things happen. Your Bureau needs to come prepared."

"I am not pointing any fingers on this call, General," said Hayate. "I am only asking for your understanding and permission to pause our discussions for a few days."

Alcyone shifted, leaning her elbows on the table and her head on top of her hands.

"Remember, Commander, that these discussions take valuable time away from Siba's efforts as well. It's beneficial to both of us if I allow this pause."

During the course of the conversation, Hayate had taken notice of the other Sibans that were involved with this call and with the formal discussion. Of the three, Ferraz had provided her input most often during the long meeting. She cycled through her catalog of half-understood assumptions about Midchilda, boasts about how Siba was better, and dismissive counters to whatever the Midchildan group presented. All of that had surely been baked in her head for a decade plus from her first days on the Siban Bureau as a trainee to the present. The two kids – Daito and Hinode – they hadn't really been involved in the meeting and they hadn't spoken up so far in the call. There was a lingering feeling of "letting the higher ups talk it through" that kept them silent. Someone above them always knew better than they did. It didn't seem like either kid had the same strong feelings against Midchilda, though. They were too young, and Siba's current situation was too dire, for those roots to have grown.

Hayate's group coming in as outsiders to Siba did not help and being seen as outsiders would get them nowhere. She's been thinking something through during the chat, and it was time to push an idea forward.

"Thank you, General," she said. "And if we're going back to Midchilda, I want to extend an offer for your group to join us."

The curious confusion was evident on the Sibans' faces as well as some of the Midchildan party.

"What?" asked Agito. "We gotta babysit them now?"

"I believe it would be helpful. We should avoid having any misunderstandings between us."

Alcyone closed her eyes and shook her head.

"I am not able to do that. And Parkensine? You'd have an easier time convincing gravity to fall up."

"I understand you are required to lead on Siba," said Hayate. "What about you, Ferraz, Hinode, or Daito?"

Ferraz smirked again and was about to respond when Hinode burst in.

"Wow, Midchilda! That's incredible! Daito, you want to see Midchilda, right?"

She looked over at her partner, eyes wide with excitement. Daito's furrowed face and evasive attitude didn't really change at the offer or Hinode's question. He glanced away before responding.

"...It wouldn't hurt…"

Hinode looked back at the screen rapidly.

"We can go! I want to go. Ferraz, can we?"

The Lieutenant grunted and shook her head.

"Kids, you have to think about what they're doing here. It's a PR tour, nothing more. It's brainwashing and they're masters at it. Come on, you've got better things to do with your time. Commander, take your trip and just let us know when we're starting again."

Ferraz ended her part of the call. Currently, she was alone in her apartment. Everyone had separated after the day's discussion. She chuckled, shaking her head before going to get up. Before she could, Subrosa began to flicker.

[YOU HAVE SEVERAL MESSAGES MISSED FROM -USER- -MERLINA]

Ferraz held the rose-shaped purple gem up.

"Too bad, sis. I had a reeeeally important call. What does she want?"

Subrosa projected another screen. It showed a group of text messages.

 _Ferraz I found more stuff here for you_

 _So come over and get it_

 _Call me_

 _And try to not be weird this time!_

The woman looked at the short messages and felt a wave of heat race through her skin. Merlina was the last person Ferraz wanted to see again at this moment. If she went, she knew her sister would put all the blame for last time on her, and she'd just end up rolling over and taking it to avoid another argument.

"Ugh, I'd rather have a million talks with those Midchildans before going home," Ferraz muttered. "I'd rather…Idunno, it'd probably be easier going…to…Midchilda itself…"

She paused, reflecting on the last minute. Her head lowered and she glanced from the corner of her eye at her device. She thought briefly of Hayate and her group, then about her sister, then Daito and Hinode. The onus of both decisions was all on her.

Cursing, she stamped her foot in anger and reached for her device.

"Subrosa, rejoin that call."

[ATTEMPTING]

The background of the screen flickered as Ferraz waited anxiously. If it was too late here, she'd have to deal with Merlina and that was the last thing she wanted to do. Finally, the feeds opened again showing all the same parties.

"Oh, Lieutenant, you're back," said General Alcyone first.

"Yeah…so…" muttered Ferraz. She tried to look at the Midchildan group but found herself glancing away quickly every time. "I thought it over…and if you still want us to go to Midchilda, then…ahh…I guess I'd…I'd be okay with doing that."

Immediately, Hinode butted in excitedly.

"Wow! So we're going then?"

"Y…yeah, Hinode. You and Daito and I can come along."

The girl shut her eyes and cried out.

"Hooray! Thank you thank you thank you!"

Hayate smiled and addressed the rest of the feeds.

"I will make arrangements with our Admiral but that should not be a problem. We will get our diplomat stable enough for transport and then we will return to our ship. Please make your way over and we will depart when we are all together."

* * *

The conversation ended and Dreischer Alcyone ended her transmission. She slouched back and sighed, enjoying a brief moment of respite before the voice of a man who'd been lingering on the other side of her office behind the screen the entire time spoke up.

"No complaints from me, if that's what you were waiting for," said Gerin Parkensine.

Alcyone slowly stood up to match with her guest. She reached for a thermos and took off the cap, pouring hot tea into a cup as it steamed in the open air.

"I am starting to think you are enjoying my suffering," she said playfully.

"Oh, I don't doubt the…difficulties…presented to you."

Parkensine slowly walked towards Alcyone's desk. The General lifted the cup with both hands, making sure to keep it stable as she drank from it and set it down.

"But you do know how they will perceive this," Parkensine continued.

"What? How did we cause this?" Alcyone responded. "We kept them together and they went out on their own."

"But Siba did not provide adequate security, did we?"

"Oh, please. If I had mages always with them, they would complain about that instead. You and I complain about all the cameras pointed in our faces nowadays. Can you say you enjoy that, Gerin?"

The old man turned to face out the windows of the office to the city below.

"They will spin this, Dreischer. In hindsight, putting up with their grievances otherwise sounds more acceptable that having this over our heads, correct?"

The woman paused. She sighed and clasped her bony, skin-taught hands together.

"I thought they would be grateful," she said.

Parkensine let a couple seconds pass before speaking up.

"We are not fooling anyone by hiding our forces. Every time you pull back – put the peoples' fears before their safety – you just make it that much easier for this resistance to gain ground. A diplomat gets injured, or our officers are pushed out of another fight, and we look ineffective once again."

"We need to keep a balance, Gerin. I know what you want. You want us to cut off the heads if we could. I cannot allow us to do that."

Parkensine turned to face Alcyone.

"Why not?"

"I would rather not add more kindling to this fire. If we punish as much as you want or attack without direct cause, we will double the size of this resistance in a day. I appreciate the feedback, but you are not in the position to lead our forces anymore."

"You are still not thinking about all of your resources. A big enough shock to their system will remind everyone of who is in charge."

Alcyone leaned over, propping her hands on her desk. She lowered her head and thought this over.

"You're telling me I should call in more mages?"

"We have all of Siba to help us, Dreischer. Our efforts do not stop at the edges of the Capital."

"Neither does this rebellion, Gerin. Their ideas are spreading."

"Restore order to the Capital and you will have done most of the work. Then it will be easy to go across the planet."

Parkensine walked over to stand next to Alcyone. He stood straight while she slouched over and he directed his speech down at her.

"Here is the situation we have been presented with. Midchilda has paused their efforts but they will return, having one more example of Siba's incompetence to justify themselves. If we are going to save our planet and keep Midchilda out of this, we need to go beyond what you are comfortable with. Nobody can afford to be comfortable now. Send out an order for all available officers. Siba Capital needs them."

Alcyone's arms shook. She wanted to move, but Parkensine's effect seemed to push on her back and keep her in place.

"…And what do we do when Midchilda comes back?"

Parkensine smiled and chuckled lightly once.

"Your board of advisors recommended this to you."

He stepped back and made his way to the exit of the room. As he did that, Alcyone finally felt able to stand straight again. She tried to compose herself, pulling at the end of her jacket sleeves.

"I will make that call, but you cannot order me around like that," she said sternly. "I will remind you again that you are not in this position anymore."

"I know that," said Parkensine. "I am simply a concerned citizen."

He glanced out the window once again.

"…and look how the world has made a change…"

He exited, leaving General Alcyone alone.

* * *

The car pulled to the side of the street in front of Lova and Lucra's apartment building. Lucra got out of her side in the back row, gently pulling her cybernetics against the handle to avoid breaking it. She went over to the other side and did the same to this door, opening it so Lova could pull herself up. The green-haired woman pressed limply against her partner, keeping her feet on the ground but otherwise expecting the other woman to carry them both.

"It hit you kinda late there, didn't it?" asked Lucra. Lova nodded and smiled, grunting a little acknowledgement through closed lips.

"But in the moment, you held on without any problems," the brunette added.

"That's the strange part," said Lova. "The Eye was so proud…It must have kept me going."

The two women made their way slowly to the door of the building and into the main hallway on the first floor.

"I'll trust you on this…" muttered Lucra. "Am I supposed to know what you're seeing? Is anyone else supposed to do anything with this Eye?"

"The Eye of Belka shows itself to me alone."

"See, you say something like that and you sound crazy to a lot of people, Lova."

"And that's why I don't tell everyone. But…it was proud of me…and I didn't get tired until afterwards…"

Lucra exhaled as they reached the entrance to the stairwell.

"I'm not saying you didn't do better. So…if your…ahh…visions are what's letting you do so, then I'm fine with that. Now come on, you gotta help me out here."

Lova pressed against her partner tighter.

"Carry me."

"No."

"Please?"

"I only do that when you're unconscious. Put one foot in front of the other."

"Pleeeeeeease?"

Lova nuzzled her head back and forth against Lucra, and finally the woman gave in.

"Urrrrrgh, I'm such a big softie. Okay princess, just this once."

She was about to pick her partner up when they both heard footsteps down the hall. These were treading rapidly towards them.

"Hey, Dancer girls!" said the man approaching them.

Both women looked back, and Lucra turned them to face the person. She didn't look too pleased.

"That's _my_ nickname, yes, but not both of ours. Get it right-"

"Please," Lova interrupted, "no need for an argument. I'm Lova, and this is Lucra. It seems you know about us?"

They saw the full picture of the man stopping before them. He was average build, a bit tall but otherwise plain. He was bald and had several minor cuts and lingering scars across his skin. He was older than the women but not by much – early to mid thirties, maybe.

"I'm not looking for trouble," the man said. "You two pulled me out of that prison van. Why would I want to bite you now?"

Lova focused and indeed the face looked slightly familiar. A week ago or so, they'd heard of a convoy driving through the Capital to get to the central prison. A quick interception of the vehicle and a quick breakout of the passengers meant more allies that had serious chips on their shoulder against the Bureau. This man was one of those saved from a visit to the new venue.

"I remember now," said Lova. "So what are you here for?"

"Bathory Kardenis," the man stated. "He came back with Midchilda's group."

"The exile, here on Siba again," said Lucra. "We saw with our own eyes."

The man put his hands in the pockets of his jacket and shifted.

"I know him. More than any of you who only heard the news about him do. He's the reason I was locked away."

"Oh?" asked Lova.

"Yeah. It's all 'cuz of him that I'm a prisoner now. Four years in a cell, 'bout to be shipped to another one before you girls stopped it. So I've got a personal message for him. And I want to deliver it myself. Get me over there soon as you can."

"We have sent the message we intended to send today," said Lova. "We will see what Midchilda thinks of it."

"What, you couldn't have gone after him instead of the other guy?"

"It didn't matter who we used," said Lucra. "That's over with. If Midchilda disregards us, we can go further next time. We'll try and get you two in contact then."

"Good," said the man. He nodded and started backing away. "If that happens, I'll find you."

He turned around, walking briskly away. The women looked on for a moment longer.

* * *

The Claudia

Ferraz, Daito, and Hinode teleported aboard. Hinode looked in awe around the large receiver room and Ferraz even looked around it for a bit as well. She walked out of the room towards the bridge where she was instructed to meet with the Midchildan party, and her subordinates followed her.

"I can't deny they've got the money to make a good ship…" she murmured. "But still, Enforcer Harlaown and then Admiral Harlaown? Someone pulled their family name to get something here…"

The trio wandered through the halls to the front of the ship. The last door slid open to reveal the large open space at the front. Hinode's eyes lit up and she ran out in front, looking around but first fixating on the large widows that showed the planet Siba from space. She stopped at that attraction for a bit before running on over to something else, catching the attention of the bridge crew as well as the group of Midchildan Diplomats. The one person in the group Ferraz didn't recognize – A blue-haired man maybe a couple years older than her – faced them and stepped forward.

"Welcome about my ship, the Claudia. I am Admiral Chrono Harlaown."

Ferraz and Daito walked up to meet him.

"It's fancy, I'll give you that. Lieutenant Ferraz Delahaye."

Daito spoke with the same ambivalent cadence he showed before.

"Private First Class Daito Mazzanti."

Hinode ran in, bowing deeply and speaking rapidly.

"I – I'm Private First Class Hinode Evantra! Nice to meet you too sir!"

Ferraz glanced at the rest of the group that had formed. Everyone who had been part of the discussion on Siba was there - even Arin, whose sling had been updated so he could temporarily join the current circle.

"And you're not looking too good there," said Ferraz. She butted into the circle, making a place for herself next to the tall man. Asana glared at Ferraz but did nothing otherwise. "What happened?"

"They shattered my arm," said Arin. "A tactical injury on their part. It prevented me from pursuing my attackers further."

"Ehh, suck it up. You'll get over it."

Daito and Hinode found more natural openings in the group perimeter to take while Ferraz addressed them.

"But anyways, I _really_ enjoyed getting to be your personal welcoming party to Siba. It was a blast."

"We hope we can be the same for your visit to Midchilda," said Fate.

"Yeah, I needed to get away. You want us to have a learning experience? I'll try to learn. So what's going on?"

Whatever flow the conversation had before had been stomped on repeatedly with the interruptions. Hayate tried to resume discussion to the best of her knowledge.

"…we were briefing Chrono on the situation, and especially about the message."

"Message? What message?" asked Ferraz.

"The one those people told our guy to pass on before they broke him!" cried Vita.

"Ahh, umm… we're right here…" Asana mumbled. Her ears drooped down.

"What message could they have that isn't given in their pointless and violent attacks?" asked Ferraz. "These people aren't smart enough to send a clear message. They just want to hurt you because hurting you is fun."

"Perhaps if you let us speak, we could answer," said Chrono. "Go ahead – what was it again?"

Arin looked at the rest of the group.

"She addressed it very clearly. The Eye of Belka is watching. It knows the way things need to be and we cannot stop it."

Ferraz's eyes widened and her mouth opened as well with excitement.

"No…you too? Oh, I can't believe it! Same kind of stupid sh… who said that? Who attacked you? Did she have green hair?"

"Light green, yes. And with her-"

Arin was cut off by Ferraz's energetic emotions. She stepped away and back, acting the same as if she'd just won some large prize.

"I knew it! I knew it! I knew I wasn't crazy!"

"Ah…Ferraz?" asked Hinode. What are-"

"You remember that group who attacked us?" Ferraz asked. "You remember, Hinode? Same woman, and she said the same Belkan crap to me!"

Finally, she calmed down and addressed Hayate.

"Ignore it. It's one person's ramblings. It doesn't mean anything."

Hayate thought sternly.

"That makes me more concerned, honestly."

"Why?" asked Ferraz. "It's some woman who is off her rocker, probably off her meds, I wouldn't put any more thought into it than that."

"We only know a small part of this. We didn't see every person who would fight against the Bureau. This could be something more. It's not impossible for an ancient weapon or relic to have affects on people. Maybe it's just a symbol. Maybe it's more. We have avenues we can explore on Midchilda. I would like to visit the Saint Church and visit with Carim now. We might see something similar in her predictions."

"The Saint Church…" Hinode muttered. "Daito, we should go."

The boy looked down. It was harder for him to react in his usual ambivalent way.

"Ahh…hmm…maybe."

"You are welcome to join us," said Hayate. "And if that doesn't tell us anything, maybe Yuuno might know something too."

"I just don't get what you're thinking," said Ferraz. "Take out all this cryptic stuff that probably means nothing anyways. These are people who want to hurt us. Hurt each other too. Burn our Bureau to the ground, and then what? These are not just low-ranking civilians. These are the mages that the Bureau exists for to keep in line. They want to win, and they want chaos."

"They had a message," said Signum, "and they delivered it without going any further. They are still people, Lieutenant, not fiends."

"I engaged in a measured conversation with my aggressor before my injury," said Arin. "They were frustrated, not ravenous."

"You're really telling me in another situation they could be our friends? Our teammates?"

Fate reached in her pocket and clutched Bardiche. She looked away slightly.

"It's not unheard of…" she said.

A woman on the bridge crew called out to Chrono.

"Admiral, we are ready to depart."

"Understood," Chrono nodded. "We can continue this discussion in a bit. For the moment, my efforts are needed."

He walked to his Captain's seat and sat, calling out all the various procedures and checks to do for activating the ship. As it went on, The Claudia began to rumble and it moved forward, though through the window it didn't seem to move at all. Eventually, a large tear opened up in space itself that the ship guided itself into with one final command. It raced out of the space around Siba and tore into Dimensional Space once again.

Hinode panicked for a moment as the planet she'd spent her whole life on was suddenly replaced with a wash of eerie colors that flew by in a constant mosaic.

"Ah…wh…where are we?" she asked.

"Dimensional space," said Vita. "Fastest way to get from A to B. Ya keep all hands and feet inside, everything'll be fine. And Siba's right where we left it. We'll be back."

This calmed the nervous girl down, and she nodded slowly.

"So," said Ferraz, "We're headed to Midchilda. You set up any guided tour for me?"

"We do have our own necessities to take care of before returning," said Hayate, "but we would like you to see our planet and we can answer any questions you have."

Ferrraz brushed some loose hair over to the main body and crossed her arms.

"I'll see what's so enamoring with your planet, Commander. Still, wow, Midchilda… into the belly of the beast…"

* * *

 _Smoke on the skyline_  
 _Welcome to Delphi_  
 _They'll come with questions - answer what you can_  
 _Everybody knows the new oracle's at hand_

Doomtree _\- The Bends_


	9. Midnight in a Perfect World

**A/N:** This chapter has some heavy influences from certain bands or albums I will recommend. Music and the lyrics to a section can often get me in a mood, conflict or situation that I might not have personal experience in. **Abandoned** by Defeater and **Friedrich** by Locktender are two incredible albums that assisted me with the conflict of religious faith that is being addressed in this chapter. Meanwhile, **The Medicine** by the jazz june and **Late Night Conversations** by the Forecast play into the more down-to-earth moments where characters just flesh out their relationships and establish more of their personalities. I have to mention **Suspended in Reflections** by Ancestors as well, just because that album came out since the last EotH chapter did and it is awesome. Okay, that's that info. Last time, the whole group was going back to Midchilda, now joined by three mages from the planet Siba's 'diplomatic' party. This chapter, they've arrived.

* * *

 **Chapter 9 - Midnight in a Perfect World**

* * *

 _These broken frequencies;_  
 _The wires detach me_  
 _As the spark only knows the flint._  
 _Our lives only admit_  
 _It's a challenge just to take a breath_  
 _as I stand up on one limb just to take a bow  
_  
 _Except I forgot how to give a f***._  
 _It's that, well, pride is our only demise;_  
 _A social heatwave set on deathtrap._  
 _I smile as the explosion makes us raw._  
 _Now excuse me as I kiss the bright white.  
_  
 _I won't be coming back._

Frontierer - _Cascading Dialects_

* * *

Midchilda

The tram headed out from central HQ, up through Cranagan to the Belkan Sector and the Saint Church within it. In one cart was the entire diplomatic group, minus one man and his familiar who were routed to the infirmary instead, and including the three new mages from Siba who tagged along. The ten mages formed into loose groupings, some subliminally based on comfort and some intentionally based on maintaining distance. As the tram continued along, a short jingle played over the speakers before a prerecorded message began. The voice was someone that everyone in the cart knew well, including Ferraz Delahaye and her subordinates. To Ferraz' annoyance, Nanoha Takamachi herself invaded her ears.

"Hello, this is Nanoha Takamachi with the Time Space Administration Bureau. On behalf of our Bureau, I wish you a pleasant time on the capital planet of Midchilda."

Ferraz parted the clump of hair that fell from the uncut half of her head. She looked around. The Midchildians only passively recognized the message aside from Fate, who had a light smile Ferraz was sure she didn't have before.

"Ahhh, how does everyone else stand it!?" Ferraz cried.

She was met with several confused looks.

"Pardon?" Hayate asked.

"Everything here is Nanoha this, Nanoha that… I feel like we've spoken for hours and I haven't even met the woman!"

"She is popular, yes." Signum answered.

"But I'm sure you enjoy some of it too," continued Ferraz. "I mean, you are the other Aces and the Wolkenritter. Whatever you say, the people listen. Do they jump when you order them as well?"

Among some agitated looks coming from her party, Hayate quickly spoke up.

"I would be happy to discuss your questions with you, Lieutenant, when you have genuine interest rather than hypothetical taunts. Until then, we will not follow."

"Well, I'm sure your ruthless training of signing autographs and smiling back will be put to use once we're out there, Commander. My officers are standing by for backup."

On the other end of the car, Negati rolled her eyes.

"And I see Siba's 'pleasantness' regimen has made strides too…" she muttered.

Before that conversation could go any further, Fate's eyes widened as she saw something out in the city.

"Look, Hayate," she said, it's Vivio!"

Hayate looked over. The tram was passing by the large arena of the DSAA and the screens projecting from the stadium advertised the upcoming U15 Winter Cup Tournament. On the screens was a lineup of some of the girls competing, in their adult forms and barrier jackets with pairs of fighters placed on the sides and facing each other as if they were combatants. Fate recognized Vivio's close friends who were also competing such as Einhart and Miura. Next to them was Vivio Takamachi, with a confident smile and determined focus.

"Front and center, too!" said Hayate. "I'm so proud of them! Oh, look Fate, across from Vivio. That's Rinne, right?"

Fate followed to the other side of the banner and saw a familiar white-haired girl with purple eyes. The girl looked intensely serious, with narrowed eyes and a slight frown on her closed lips. Rinne Berlinetta, Rank #1 in the DSAA's U15 category.

"Rinne, yes," said Fate.

"Vivio fought her, right? I remember Nanoha telling me about it."

"The only career battle Rinne has ever lost," Fate answered. "I could not be there, but I made sure Vivio knew how proud I was of her."

Hayate began to smile, that kind of smile that gave away the mischief her mind was spinning.

"So you think there's gonna be a rematch?"

As the advertisement changed to another upcoming event, Fate exhaled lightly.

"I just hope Vivio does well. She's been preparing well for this winter."

"I gotcha. Me? Sorry Fate, but I'm betting on Miura."

"Again?"

"Yes, again. She's gotta win me my money back after I lost it from the Battle Technique Fair match. Darn it, she's still a Yagami student in my heart!"

With the stadium fading from the tramcar's view, Ferraz walked up and stood on the other side of Fate.

"If you ask me, all these tournaments and training for them is sabotage. Real fights don't happen in square rings with rules or referees. They're sudden and violent, life or death. Either you win, or they escape. These girls can't fight for their planet - only for your amusement."

Ferraz spoke softly, intending only Fate and Hayate to hear. There was more intensity to this opinion than the blow-off antagonizing from before.

"Why should they need to fight like that?" asked Hayate. "We put ourselves in danger so that they don't have to. People should be able to follow their passions."

"My passion is defending my Bureau." said Ferraz. She kept her voice low, but her intensity rose. "You ask Daito or Hinode, they will say the same thing. You ask any officer on Siba, they'll say the same thing. Midchilda takes this for granted. They have you all, they have Nanoha, they have every other high-ranking mage they attract from the rest of the planets. If Siba had all those A-rank or Double-A or whatever rank those girls are, we wouldn't put them all in a tournament. We'd use them."

"Lieutenant, I apologize, but Siba is in trouble!" said Hayate, matching Ferraz's move. "Your planet's situation is not how things should be. Your civilians are unhappy, your Bureau is stressed, and I understand it is all that you know. But look beyond your planet and look at the rest of the TSAB. People don't want violence. They don't want conflict. They want to trust each other."

"They want to have security," said Ferraz. "They know that if something happens, Midchilda can put a whole battalion of S-class mages on their doorstep."

"So why can't we help Siba?" asked Fate.

Ferraz paused for several seconds to formulate her answer. Her own mind needed to hear this as much as she wanted Hayate to. Ferraz glanced out the tramcar window again. As much as she tried, she couldn't avoid noticing the calm energy of the city before her. There was traffic and people, there was life and moving parts, but there were no signs of trouble or uneasiness. No sirens in the distance or blocked-off streets, no air mages with devices out patrolling above the crowds…

' _It's the end goal_ ', Ferraz finally reasoned. ' _It's what Siba will be once the Bureau finally wins. We can do it by ourselves.'_

"Because we don't need you," she finally answered. Her voice calmed again and she smiled lightly. "We're good. We're brave and strong. There's nothing wrong in our nature. Look at us, we'll prevail. Look at…"

She looked to her side, noticing the younger Sibans weren't with her. She glanced back at them and called out.

"Daito, Hinode, come here."

Hinode Evantra jumped up from her seat. Daito Mazzanti glanced up slowly but remained where he was.

"Daito, I'm ordering you here," Ferraz added. She received a tug on her jacket from Hinode in response.

"Umm, he's really busy…" said Hinode.

"With what?"

"Thinking. We're going to the Saint Church, right? So...he wants to use it."

"The…the Saint…oh, yeah, right, we're going there! That's what we're doing. I forgot we weren't just touring."

Quickly, Ferraz leaned over to Fate and Hayate.

"What are we doing again?" she whispered.

"I want to see a friend of mine, Carim Gracia" said Hayate. "Her prophesies may reveal more about the 'Eye of Belka' that your planet's resistance speaks of."

"I'm telling you, it's nothing," said Ferraz. "It's all just crazy delusions. Nothing more."

"We will see after I check with my resources."

"Fair enough."

Ferraz went to go back to her seat when she suddenly remembered another retort she wished to use.

"Oh," she called out while spinning back to the Aces, "and it's a shame there aren't any Sibans in that DSAA thing. They'd take down anyone from this planet easily."

From across the car, a new voice contributed.

"Oh really?" said Agito sarcastically. "Well sign 'em up then!"

"Ehh, we got a planet to save. Maybe next time."

Ferraz finally got back to her seat. Hinode went back as well and the three Siban visitors formed their group again. It was quiet only for a moment until Vita muttered her own opinion of the Sibans.

"They're having a completely normal one, aren't they?"

* * *

Saint Church

Carim clasped her hands. She looked up at Hayate from behind her desk.

"I do not see it in any of my prophesies."

"Hah!" cried Ferraz. "Told you!"

Hayate stood frozen, staring at her friend.

"Surely one of them could…ah…say something…I mean, maybe one of us could realize something…that you, uh…"

Carim reached up and several yellow holographic screens appeared in front of Hayate.

"Here are the recent years' results since that of the Scaglietti Incident. I have not seen an answer for them; perhaps you are right that you may know more than me."

Each prophecy Carim wrote was projected to her in ancient Belkan then translated with Carim's best efforts into modern wording. They came to her as loose and vague as they ended up being in the final transcription. Hayate knew that, but she still stumbled through the lines trying to project them onto Siba's situation. After a moment of honest effort, she just shut her eyes and groaned.

"I see a hundred things, but I also see nothing…"

Carim reached out again and dissolved the various screens. She smiled with a light pity.

"We have discussed this before, Hayate. Prophetinschriften is not clear. The best we can treat it is as a –"

Hayate said the same three words at the same time Carim spoke, though sounding far more resigned.

"Fairly accurate horoscope, I know Carim. I was just hoping my lead would get us an answer."

Ferraz chuckled lightly before addressing the room.

"I think the Commander was trying to prove me wrong."

"I think the Commander wishes she never invited you," Vita deadpanned back.

"Well," said Hayate, straightening up, "I didn't come out here to feel rejection and leave again! Since I'm your guest I hope you can accommodate us."

"Oh?" Carim asked.

"Yeah, it's been a while since I could visit. Maybe we can catch up? Walk around? Show me anything new?"

Carim smiled and stood up from her desk.

"Certainly. Sister Schach will take any messages in my absence."

As the group began to move out, Hinode ran to Ferraz.

"Ah, Ferraz, um, can Daito and I…"

"Oh, right," their superior answered. "Yeah, go ahead. We'll circle back eventually."

Hinode nodded. With Daito following, she went out down the halls of the Grand Cathedral. Walking back to the main area, past the offices and classrooms, the two found the large doors to the altar. They opened it, stepping into the expansive room where the aisles stretched on far longer than those of the Siba Capital church did. At the far end, on the wall of the sanctuary, a large stained-glass window with Olivie Sägebrecht and other Old Belkan figures outlined on it cast an encompassing light into the room. At this time, the room was empty aside from Daito and Hinode. When the doors shut behind them and the voices from outside it were blocked, it was silent.

Daito stood still, half anticipating and half unsure. When nothing announced its presence, the boy slowly moved down the aisle. Hinode matched his pace while glancing around in wonder at the architecture. Daito reached the front of the nave and took one more step, pausing again and still facing the image of the last Saint King. Behind him, Hinode took a seat at the edge of a bench on the first row.

"Daito? Come here."

The boy slowly looked back at his partner. His eyes still showed a focused intent that masked any other emotion behind it. Without replying back, he walked over and sat next to Hinode. He leaned forward and his eyes faced the elevated floor of the altar. He remained this way while Hinode looked around, swinging her legs lightly forward and back. She reached to her chest and held the loose necklace with her device on it.

"Wow… Edelkroone and I couldn't imagine this. What about you, Daito? Is Boden happy?"

Her partner reached into his pocket and brought out the blue gem.

"Boden?" he asked. The gem pulsed as it responded.

[ICH FÜHLE MICH HIER SEHR WOHL]

"That's good," said Hinode. "So what are you looking for?"

"I don't know - an answer? Something from anywhere but Siba about myself. Our efforts…our roles…and not from the Diaken and Sisters who raised us. Everyone there talks to me but doesn't listen to me."

"I listen to you."

"That's…I meant…"

Stumbling to continue, he turned away from Hinode.

"I -I'm sorry, can I just…be alone for a bit?"

He knew the expressions Hinode was looking at him with. First there was the confusion where she waited for him to clarify, and then there was the hurt dejection. Finally, there was a light hope shining through that if she let her partner be, he might get what he needed and things would be better. The girl stood up.

"Um…sure. I'll be outside."

She walked up the long aisle again to the main doors. Looking back at Daito one more time, she pushed the doors open and stepped into the lobby.

Daito was by himself now. He held his arm up and looked at the light falling on it from the window. It pushed its way through the various colors of the glass: the tans of Olivie's skin, her blonde hair, and the light grays and vivid purple of her barrier jacket. There was no artificial light needed from the ceiling above; enough to illuminate the room all came through the stained-glass figures from Ancient Belka. The boy closed his eyes and spoke.

"The Diaken always tells us what you are saying, but I've never heard your voice. I've found no trace of heaven either. He says you're watching over us on Siba but all I see is fear and ache and ash. If you really have a voice, then tell me something. What do you want from my planet? What do you want from me?"

Daito waited. He was expecting silence in return and wasn't surprised when that was the answer.

"…Figures..."

The quiet was disturbed when a small door on the side of the room near the foot of the altar opened. Someone walked into the room and Daito heard several footsteps before they halted again. He'd just gotten someone's attention. He glanced up to see someone wearing the male version of the church attire without the robe over it. The person had short, somewhat-spiky brown hair and green eyes. Despite the outfit, the softer facial features and eyes gave the woman's gender away. The Sister looked at Daito with a neutral expression. The lone boy in a TSAB Ground Forces uniform returned the look. After an odd second, Daito broke first.

"Go ahead," he muttered. "I'm not doing anything."

The woman walked to the bench where Daito was and sat down next to him. She sat up straight, hands clasped on her legs. The young mage sighed and sat up to match her. This woman's actions and behavior seemed so deliberate. It was odd, but her quiet nature at least matched his.

"Okay," he said. "yeah, I'm…I dunno, you first."

"I saw a concern in your eyes. Are you looking for assistance?"

"I have some questions for the Sankt Kaiser. I don't think I'll get any answers though."

"Her Majesty does have many messengers," the woman said with a light smile. "Perhaps I can pass something on?"

Daito looked up at the woman now. Her eyes were still plain but there was something calming about that. Something told Daito that this person could stop her plans and speak with him if needed. He sighed quietly, looked forward again, and answered.

"Sure. Thanks. I'm Daito."

"Sister Otto."

"This place, like it is here…Midchilda…It's not what I know," said Daito.

"Where are you from?"

"Siba. Planet 84. I'm sure you haven't heard of it."

Otto scanned through her memory for any mention of that planet. She had a suspicion, and she indeed recalled two mages from that planet who had come to the church years ago and were forcibly removed by herself and her sisters. That moment was irrelevant to the current situation though and she did not use it to influence her perceptions.

"I have heard of it in passing," she answered.

"It's in trouble. Everyone's angry at the Bureau."

"I am sorry to hear that."

"The Diaken and his Church tell us that it's all supposed to collapse, and then we're all supposed to let these ancient people come back and save us. I don't want to let us lose! If I can fight then I want to fight!"

"That makes sense."

"But I…I don't hear anything. No one is there. None of these dead and Ancient Belkans can do anything, right? So why do we keep speaking to them? Why do we keep listening? And if the rest of the Church can hear them…should I be able to?"

Daito lowered his voice.

"I was raised by the Church. I don't know anything before that. I did their classes and sang the hymns and wore their robes. They want me to stay with them. But if I can't believe in it, then why should I? What do their prayers or sermons have to say?"

He waited again. There was a pause that he should have expected. Otto didn't seem the type to rapidly react.

"I understand the severity of your worries," she said. "You are questioning the faith you thought had been a guiding focus. You wonder if now it has been a life indentured."

"Yeah…something like that. I've given them enough of my efforts. I've spent my time in their congregations trying to find some proof in the words. But Hinode - she would still go."

"I'm sorry, who?"

"Oh, right, she's with me – she's like me. Raised by the church, same as I was. She had enough magic that I brought her to the Bureau, but she still sees something in the church walls. I don't see anything in those stupid sermons. None of it does anything to fix our world. It's a dominion theology waiting for the Bureau to end. It's a faith like an axe – as heavy as light."

"It is not Her Majesty's intent for anyone to suffer," said Otto. "Olivie sacrificed herself to end the war that divided us. Her lessons are of unity, cooperation, and betterment of our communities. If your sector chooses to stand idly by while others reach for help, they have not listened well to Her Majesty's message."

"But why do I need anyone else to tell me what I can do?" asked Daito. "Dead Saints don't solve our problems. Their messengers don't solve them either. You can't rely on anyone else to tell you what you should do. I can only rely on myself. Nothing else matters when it comes to my life."

Otto did not respond immediately. Daito knew he went to some other places there, but that was the crux of his concept. If he could truly convince himself that returning to the church meant giving himself up as a cog in church robes, then the decision to leave would be easy. If the Sister sitting next to him agreed, he thought that might be all he needed.

"Who are your enemies, and what do they have to say?" Otto asked.

The boy looked shocked. Fumbling to answer, he glanced away.

"Th – the people that aren't on the Bureau, they – they fight, and destroy, and burn and break things! We have to stop them."

"That did not answer my other question. What are they trying to tell you?"

"I don't know, they hate the TSAB? They want to hurt us? I…what are you…I don't…"

"I see a concerning pattern in what you have told me. Your Church does not listen to your concerns and proceeds with a predetermined action. You also show an unwillingness to listen."

"What?" asked Daito. "No, you don't understand me. I…I don't have a -"

"A conflict where sides are set in their ways can only grow and it will grow to encompass you. My sisters and I know that cycle well. We were born as weapons from a common creator, and our mission was all we knew. Our alliance with the Doctor would give us purpose and power once attained. In our enemies' hands, we would find only failure – deactivation and death. We believed that until our defeat, and only then did we realize we were offered a choice all along. I took the Bureau's offer. Many of my sisters did as well."

Otto turned her head now, accessing something else she stored in memory.

"Some remained loyal to the Doctor's side. I have memorized their locations in various orbital prisons. They will remain there for some time."

Daito fidgeted. He had little to respond with – at least, little that the woman would be satisfied with.

"So…" he finally said, "what do you want me to do? Siba is different than this planet."

"It does not need to be," answered Otto, "and you do not need to struggle as you are. Your friends and your Bureau partners are looking for hope and you can strengthen their wish the same way they can support yours. Her Majesty is not giving you the answers; she reminds us of principles we hope to follow. Faith is not subservience. It is dedication. You must also look to your enemies and listen. If you do not do so, you will find yourself at a point you cannot return from. Do you understand?"

Another long pause. Otto focused on the boy again. Through hesitant thoughts, he answered.

"Y…yeah, yeah, I get it."

Behind the two, the doors at the back of the room were slowly pulled open. A figure leaned in and called out.

"Ottooooo? Otto, you in here?"

Daito looked back and saw a girl a few years older than him who had orange hair and purple eyes and was dressed in a blue version of the female Church robes. She glanced at Daito for a moment then noticed Otto sitting next to the boy. Excitedly, the girl ran down the aisles and Daito now noticed the head wear she wore that streamed like a blue cape behind her hair. The girl ran up to the pair and stopped.

"You were supposed to finish your duties, Otto! I was sent to find out where you were, but it looks like you didn't go anywhere!"

Otto only smiled lightly at the girl who was scolding her.

"Sometimes a new task takes precedence, Sister Chantez. In this case, I discovered that my services were needed."

Chantez looked at the boy again. Daito quickly stood up from the bench.

"Yeah, she stopped to talk. I think that's it though. Oh, I'm Daito."

The orange-haired girl smiled proudly.

"Chantez Arpinion, at your service! Or not, I guess, if Otto already did it. And Otto, you're lucky I even checked here. I was walking right by it but I saw this girl just pacing around. I stopped for a minute and asked what was up and she was all worried about something going on in here. That sounded like something for me to investigate."

"Your intuition was right," said Otto. "It appears Sein has given you some unfortunate lessons in snooping."

"Heeeyyy, watch the trash talk!"

Otto got up and bid farewell. She walked off through another side-door.

"Yeah, I think I'm done. I didn't mean to take everyone's time," said Daito. He went to leave but as he passed by Chantez, she reached out and grabbed his shoulder.

"Hey," she called, "the girl out there – is she with you?"

"Hinode? Yeah."

Chantez quickly formed a mischievous smirk.

"She's a real cutie. You better hold onto her."

As the boy's face quickly ran red, Chantez cracked up and followed after Otto. Now alone, Daito headed for the exit at the back of the room. He tried brushing the weird comment off as much as he could, but some of that resurfaced as he opened the door and Hinode was waiting to greet him in the lobby. His mind wondered about how he should act, at least until he realized Hinode was only grabbing onto him to drag them off to the departing diplomatic group.

* * *

Night had fallen. Ferraz stepped out into the hallway of the hotel she and the other guests had rooms in. She was dressed casually and her hair was still lightly wet from the shower. Looking for something to do, she walked to the lobby area of the floor she was on. There was a medium-sized open area on one side of the floor with a small bar, room for groups to mingle, and then an outdoor balcony that could fit several more groups. With only one night reserved on Midchilda and little wish to actually see the city of Cranagan, Ferraz thought that a drink or two sounded perfect. Before she got there, she noticed Bathory and Negati Kardenis out on the balcony. They were talking to each other and Ferraz was about to continue her path when Negati spotted her and waved the other woman over.

With a light sigh, Ferraz complied. She walked out, standing next to the two former Sibans. She glanced around at the cityscape with an indifferent look.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Negati asked.

"Hmm," Ferraz muttered. "They know what they're doing. They wouldn't show us the rough parts of town, would they?"

"Cranagan isn't like that. It all works together. It's everything you wish it is."

"Mm-hmm."

The Siban glanced down to the street, watching the crowds leisurely pass by the storefront lights. The voices from below and the quiet hum of the magic energy powering the displays floated up to her ears.

"So this is where everyone runs off to…" she said quietly. "Midchilda."

"It's a good place to be," said Bathory. "You can get a lot of advancement."

"Spoken like a travel brochure," replied Ferraz. She turned around, leaning back against the railing and resting her arms on it. "I feel like I'm being monitored or something."

"What?" asked Negati. "No one's doing that."

"You sure? No cameras? No one watching the guests from Siba? I'd be looking around if I were you."

"No one's in danger, trust me."

"Wow, you've forgotten the first rule. It's been a while since you were Sibans. You should always be on your guard."

"There are times and places you can ignore that," said Bathory. "Get a moment or two to yourself."

Ferraz chuckled softy and shook her head.

"Still, you never know…"

The three stood for a couple quiet seconds. Ferraz's hand slowly went to her pocket. In her head, she was counting down. When she reached zero, she casually grabbed the standby form of Subrosa and swung her arm out at the other two mages. When her arm went taught, she glanced over to see that the other two had done the same. Negati's open palm faced Ferraz and Bathory reached out holding the dark-green gem of his device. After another second, Ferraz smiled and lowered her arm again. She laughed and the couple did as well. It was nothing more than a small ritual, but it raised Ferraz' trust in them. Her shell began to thin.

"You're among friends here," said Negati. "Not just us, but everyone. Go out and wander around. Find something new and interesting, It's your first time here, so that'll happen easily."

"Maybe," the other woman replied. "I was going to wait 'till I had my shower to figure anything like that out… oh, wait, crap!"

Ferraz reached for Subrosa again, bringing it out and interacting with a projected screen. Her expression had shifted suddenly from a minor comfort to an anxious glare.

"Merlina…Merlina, I never responded…"

She got to her sister's message and opened it. She scanned the text, but as she read, her eyes drooped more and more until she closed the screen with a pained sigh.

"And I'm not going to. I told you I am out," she narrated. "I'm not running or hiding from you, I'm out! If you want me to see you, maybe you should make yourself be someone that I want to see."

She grunted again and pounded the railing. Bathory and Negati watched, unsure of what to say.

"Is there a problem?" asked Negati.

"That's my sister," said Ferraz. "Merlina. She's back at our mother's house sifting through everything."

"Is your mother there?"

"No, she's…gone. That's the whole reason for this."

"I'm sorry," said Bathory.

"It's not your…ahh, I just…I can't make myself do it. Too much to be reminded of. Too much that Merlina is trying to continue. She has something of a point, though, buried in the rest of it. When I finally left that place, I took it for granted. I saw the glass was half full; I asked for more and more until it tipped and spilled over."

She closed her eyes. A light gust blew across the balcony, pressing the chilly autumn wind through her.

"Like a wave, or a rapture, something you've always known is just…gone."

"Hey," said Bathory, "if your sister isn't going to appreciate your help, then-"

"Oh, no, that I need to make myself deal with. One of these days I need to get the right words and just tell her off the right way and stand by it. It's funny, isn't it? I can keep calm in a battle but I can't look Merlina in the eyes and say anything with conviction. She and mom – they got what they wanted. I couldn't talk to either of them without second guessing."

"Did something happen?" Negati asked.

"I don't know. That's the thing, I just don't know. What did I do at the very start that caused all of it? What was I paying for the whole time? I thought it would end at some point. Especially as I moved up in the Bureau and mom grew old, I thought somewhere I would gain respect. I…I was there on her deathbed. Merlina too. I figured there was one last chance for her to apologize, or even just acknowledge that I was never treated the way Merlina was. One final chance to talk about it…and she acted like nothing was wrong. She blew off twenty-three years in front of my eyes. Nothing. No apology. Nothing like that in her cold black fucking heart."

Ferraz paused. The other two stayed silent. They felt like they needed to let Ferraz continue, no matter how long that took. It was only a bit though before she spoke again.

"I'm sure you picked up that Merlina never got the same picture that I got. She loved mom…and I can tell she's picked up the same behaviors. She can have that house. She can have everything in it. None of it's my legacy. It's all just a reminder of an answer I'll never get."

Bathory went next to Ferraz and looked out to the city.

"I might be there with you soon. My father is sitting alone in a hospital bed back on Siba."

"Oh, Mr. Kardenis, right?"

"Right. Thank you again for protecting him. But something in him broke when I had my incident. He loved me before it. I was everything he wanted me to be. Now, even four years since the incident, he won't even look at me. He won't even acknowledge when I'm in the room. It's a rift that I just don't know how to cross, and I'm scared that's going to go to his grave."

"It might. It just might," said Ferraz. "I mean, I can't tell you it will turn out fine."

"I know, and thank you. I don't want to lie and pretend it's fine. I want him to look at me and talk to me and we can make up the last five years as easily as that. It's just…these days that I'm on Siba for our mission might be the last days we're on that planet together. If I can't reach him now, then…what if this is my only chance?"

The two mages stared off silently, both knowing the others' experience and the unease that came with it. Ferraz mumbled one more thing into the night.

"You want to see bravery? Watch the face of someone who's lost the world but kept their will."

"Exactly."

"Alright, you two, I apologize but I need to go do something," said Negati. "I can't stay on Midchilda and stay in the hotel all night. Bathory, you're coming with."

"Sure, I'll join you" said her husband.

"That wasn't a question. It was an order. It's a little too cold to keep standing here. And Ferraz? Get a jacket; you're coming too."

"Hey," Ferraz responded, "what rank are you again?"

"The party leader - that's what I am. We'll meet you at the front doors in five minutes. I'm putting you on the clock."

* * *

Pushing the window of her grace period, Ferraz stepped out of the elevator on the first floor of the hotel. She was in the main lobby and she saw Bathory and Negati by the front doors. The brown-haired man had a thicker jacket on over the shirt and pants he was already wearing. The red-haired woman changed her outfit more than the others had. Her hair was still tied in a high ponytail, but now she had a loose fur-trimmed overcoat she had buttoned up the whole way. A thick red scarf was wrapped around her neck and she had thin gloves on her hands. The legwear seen below the coat was dark and form-fitting. She had brown boots on that went halfway to her knee and a line of soft trim could be seen at the top of them. She and Bathory greeted Ferraz as the woman walked up and then the trio walked outside.

They went down the sidewalk, chatting with each other. Ferraz had put on her cloak of indifference to the walking theme-park tour this appeared to be but she at least kept up her end of the conversation.

"Yeah, you can say it's like a dream, but does anyone really dream like this once you turn, like, twenty? All my dreams are just…odd events with random people. Kind of real, but always a weird scene."

"I don't think that was literal," said Bathory. "I think it was more like 'wonder', or 'hope', something like that."

"Yeah. Man, even my hopes are basic. I gave up on being a superstar long ago. Now I just hope that Daito and Hinode grow stronger than their predicted maximum rankings are. Aah, I sounded like their mom there. When did I become an adult? When did that happen?"

"Siba made us grow up fast," said Negati.

"Yeah. Somewhere in there, you had to find your own home. You had to look at the training analytics, make the plans, have the answers. You have to try your hardest to make the world look right. And on top of all that, you just hope you don't end up like the jerk next door."

"Wow. Lots on your mind, Ferraz."

The trio kept walking. From the shops, bars, and restaurants lining the street, groups like the one from Siba flowed through the front doors to get out of the cold or came back out into it. The younger crowds were the loudest, sometimes rising in volume with the back-and-forth banter and sometimes bursting out in one excited moment of youthful energy. Neither dogs of the future nor ghosts of the past hung over their heads.

"Are you still not feeling anything?" Negati asked Ferraz. The black-haired woman glanced over.

"I'm just being objective."

"Really? Isn't this what your Bureau wishes Siba could be? There's no lasting conflict. No civil unrest. People trust the TSAB and the Bureau trusts them."

"Because there are S-rank mages just down the street! The Aces get called on to go fix anything wrong. Are you sure that feeling is trust and not the fear of stepping out of line?"

"Do you think Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate make the rounds on all the other administrated worlds that exist without issue? Are those three all that keeps the entirety of the Bureau going?"

"I mean, you know the stories of everything they've fixed so far. Those movies that came out? I don't want to watch them but they're impossible to avoid, even on Siba. Sounds like they fix Midchilda's issues on a regular basis. They covered up that whole 'clones' incident so well I don't even remember it happening. And look, now we've got two of them coming in to fix Siba. I don't want to be insulted by hearing we're not good enough. The Siban Bureau can fix Siba's problems. We just need to get enough people to realize who they're dealing with to where that rebellion stops multiplying."

"Why are you ignoring help? Is it really just because it's from someone else?"

Ferraz stopped. Her hands began to tremble and she balled them into fists. Her jaw closed tightly and the chilly night was drowned out by a warm blood rush in her veins. She glanced at the other two just enough to get them in her periphery.

"We were having such a good time, weren't we?" she asked spitefully. "But you had to try and prove me wrong. You fit so perfectly with the rest of your Midchildan forces. You traitors."

"Hey, wait," Negati said, "we're not trying to-"

"I will treat you with enough respect to not start a fight. But you should really keep walking that way. I'll find something on my own. That's what you wanted, right? "

The Siban turned and walked across an intersection, passing through the crowd to the other side of the street and quickly putting distance between her and the couple. Bathory and Negati looked on, wondering whether to follow her, but that seemed less and less reasonable the further away Ferraz went.

"She doesn't like it, but it's true" said Negati.

"Sher needs to listen," Bathory added. "All of Siba needs to. I just hope they do so soon. They'll hate it even more if they have to be forced to."

* * *

Ferraz kept her angered pace for a while, taking it out on the ground with each forceful push down the sidewalk. She glanced down at the ground in front of her and the lights and activity around her disappeared. Her path didn't stop until her side of the street became much quieter and a grassy area blocked by a waist-high fence appeared beside her instead. Ferraz looked up again to see a park with an open central area. It had a short statue of a figure Ferraz couldn't make out in the dim light and several benches around it. She went up to the entrance and turned, walking down the stone-set path. She reached a bench and sat down.

It was quiet here – different than the atmosphere on the street-front. Finally, she had a moment to herself after her measured escape. She shut her eyes and just felt the atmosphere. The ever-present gravity pushed upon her, the nerves in her skin registered her own touch and the push of the wind, and she breathed in as rhythmically and easily as she did when not even thinking about it. For a brief second, she believed this could be either Siba or Midchilda. Then she opened her eyes, looked at the night sky, and the façade vanished. The TSAB Ground Headquarters building stretched high above the rest of the city, towering over anything else. This was foreign land to Ferraz; she was only a stranger.

"What am I doing here?" she asked. "I said I needed to get away, but… Midchilda? Am I really doing this?"

She was quickly realizing how out of her comfort zone she was. Not only was she on the capital planet of the Bureau by herself, but she'd spoken and confided so much in those ex-Sibans who were only there as political capital. Spilling secrets of her past, those cuts that ran deep…what was she doing?

"Subrosa, please, help me out. If I don't talk to something, my heart might never beat on time again."

The purple gem with the outline of a rose pulsed in its master's hand.

[HOW ARE YOU FEELING]

"I feel…hmm. There's something. I'm trying to answer. It…it feels like being gone."

[WHAT DO YOU MEAN]

"This is how they feel, don't they, when they leave it all behind for a new life? Moving on to where nothing hurts, nothing's wrong…The tide comes in, drags me with it, spits me out onto foreign land. I'm stumbling, I know – creature of habit. My mind is like a casket now with only tattered remains. Maybe I want to break and bend to get the knot out of my chest. I've got the scars to prove it and maybe that's all I have here."

Slowly, Ferraz closed her eyes again.

 _I have never been here before. My breath comes differently; the sun is outshone by a star beside it._

"I can't do this. I'm sorry Subrosa, I just can't."

She stood up, trying to catch her breath from the imagined strain.

[WHAT IS THE MATTER] her device asked.

"This planet – Midchilda – it's too good. It's too perfect. It's too easy. It's just a sanitized veneer of a planet with a coated sheen! I need to get back to Siba. The magic here must be playing with my head."

Ferraz was close to convincing herself into nausea, but she walked off soon enough to given up on that effort. A straight shot to her hotel room was her intended path where she would wait and rest before the return to Siba tomorrow.


	10. Rewind

**A/N:** The chapter title comes from the song Rewind by **Leprous** from the album The Congregation. Obviously, the chapter title suits the events of the chapter, but that's another music recommendation if you turn to...uhh...fanfiction dot net for your recommendations. Syncopation-based metal/rock, really fun to listen to. The song that I quote at the end, Hold On by **AIHVHIA** , is also worth listening to. The album it's from, Planet, is great in like a 180 degree kind of shift from how Leprous is. It's full of awesome folky/world-music kind of songs, like a lost Disney original soundtrack from the Tarzan days or something. Really cool narrative across the album and music to match.

* * *

 **Chapter 10 - Rewind**

* * *

Midchilda

The next day, the group was supposed to meet up at the tram station again to go back to the planetary Bureau HQ and transport back to their ship. Bathory and Negati were the first to arrive at the station. They were dressed in their Naval Division uniforms again. They found a spot in the courtyard and waited for the rest of the group. The Sibans were given local hotel rooms as well, but the Midchildans all went to their respective places for the night. Hayate and her company went to their home and Fate had surprised Nanoha with the extra layover. They expected that the Siban group would arrive next and soon enough, Ferraz trudged over followed by her subordinates. She seemed somewhat out of it.

"Good to see you again," said Negati. "Did you sleep well?"

The Siban chuckled and patted down her Ground Forces uniform.

"Not really."

"Yeah, I understand. You're a long way from home and that can stay on your mind."

"That and also our argument last night. It didn't send me to bed in a good mood."

The other two just lightly reacted to that. No sense continuing the conversation.

"Daito, Hinode, how about you?" Bathory asked.

"Oh, it was good!" Hinode said. "Thank you, thank you. It was a lot of fun."

"Mmhmm," Daito added.

"Well," Ferraz added, her words rolling together somewhat, "nice to see ya roped the kids in at least with the...uh...the lightshow and all that...no? A reaction? Anything? Oh, yeah, okay then, I'm not really at my best…"

Soon after, the group heard the rest of the party approaching, mainly from Hayate speaking louder than the rest of the mages. They saw why though, as Hayate and Fate led the way, speaking to a third woman who was in between the two. Carrying something in a covered tin with both hands and dressed in civilian clothes, Nanoha Takamachi was with them.

"Oh!" said Negati. "Hey Ferraz, it's Nanoha in person!"

Ferraz looked on, slowly checking her hair to make sure it was folded over right and not draped at all to the other side.

"Yeah, awesome…" Ferraz added.

The group made their way over and Negati stepped out to greet them.

"Captain."

"Oh, please, Nanoha is fine," said the brunette in the center. "Ah, is this the group from Siba? I don't believe we've met. I'm Nanoha Takamachi."

Hinode stood at attention and called out loudly.

"I'm Private First Class Hinode Eventra! It's great to meet you!"

Daito glanced over.

"Private First Class Daito Mazzanti," he said.

"And I'm Lieutenant Ferraz Delahaye," the other adult added. "I'm just bowing 'cuz of rank, and not like...yeah, you get it…man, I'm off my game…"

"So, Nanoha, what do you have?" Negati asked.

"Yeah Nanoha!" added Hayate, "You said it was a surprise. We're all here now, so go ahead!"

Nanoha laughed and began to unlock the cover of her tin.

"Well, I wasn't able to make anything when you left the first time, but when Fate told me you were back for a night, I jumped into action! I spent this morning making a little goodbye present."

Nanoha opened the tin and revealed a cake-like dessert, with toppings and a drizzled coating on top of the tan mix.

"Wooow!" cried Hinode, "what is it?"

"It's a caramel toffee cake - my mother's recipe, but I modified it to - ahh, Hayate, don't drool on it!"

"It's so pretty," the shorter woman said. Signum reached over and pulled Hayate away before any foreign materials could be added to the mix. Reinforce Zwei ran around Nanoha and stood in front of her, looking up with wide eyes.

"Please, Miss Nanoha, can I have some?"

"Aha, I was thinking you could all wait until you left so that Chrono can have some too…"

Hinode joined the other girl.

"Please, Captain Nanoha?" she asked.

"Okay, just a little bit though, you all need to share."

First, the white-haired girl took a slice and held it in her hands, munching on it. Hinode was next. She grabbed some and took a bite. An immediate smile went across her face.

"MMM! Thank you so much, this is amazing!"

As Nanoha closed the tin, Hinode ran over to her partner.

"Daito, Daito! You have to try it!"

Nanoha looked up at the three adults in front of her. Bathory and Negati both held their hands out and shook their head.

"We can save it for the ride over," said Bathory.

"Yeah, we ate at the hotel," Negati added. "It looks good, but we need some time."

Ferraz just glanced at her two subordinates and chuckled.

"You know that saying, don't you - shortest path, a girl's heart, something something her stomach. Man, do I need a nap."

"Nanoha, think of me too…" said Hayate.

"Hayate, we are not throwing the rest of it away," said Fate.

"Yeah Hayate!" Vita called out. "You can have some later, like the rest of us _adults_!"

After the group laughed a bit, the red jewel on a necklace around Nanoha's neck began to pulse.

[MASTER - I AM DETECTING HER SIGNAL NEARBY]

Nanoha reached up and held the jewel.

"Oh, is she close, Raising Heart? Thank you."

Then, Nanoha lowered her hand and looked at her friends.

"Hayate, it might be good to let Chrono know you are returning soon, if you remember my wish…"

"Okay!" said the darker brunette. "I will leave Nanoha alone and let her carry out her secret plan! Rein, Signum, Agito, Vita, let's give them some room."

With the gig totally blown open, Hayate stepped out to call Chrono. Ferraz watched her go and shrugged.

"So what do you want?"

"May I speak to Bathory and Negati by themselves, please?"

"Sure. Won't hurt my feelings. Come on, kids."

Ferraz walked off as well, taking Hinode and Daito with her. The only four remaining were Bathory and Negati Kardenis on one side, and Nanoha and Fate opposite them. The two in the blue Naval outfits seemed nervous.

"Umm, when Hayate puts it like that, is everything okay?" Negati asked.

"Certainly," Fate said.

"You're not, like, actually taking me up on that whole 'send me to the hospital' offer, right?" Bathory asked.

"Oh, no, nothing like that," Nanoha added quickly. "It's just that there is someone else who also didn't get the chance to see you the first night you were on Midchilda, so I wanted to take this opportunity the second time around."

Bathory and Negati looked at each other slowly.

"Opportunity?"

"Someone else?"

Behind Nanoha and Fate, there was the louder clacking of someone frantically running across the floor. A new voice called out from that direction - younger, early teens or so. A girl's voice.

"Instructor! Instructor, I made it!"

Nanoha smiled and called out to the person.

"Excellent. Thank you, Minasa."

Nanoha and Fate glanced at each other, smiled together, and then like two gates, they stepped away to reveal the girl who was joining them. She had brown hair, nearly the same shade as Nanoha's but in a different hairstyle, with green eyes. The girl wore the TSAB Air Forces uniform - a white coat with blue on the shoulders and a matching blue yoke at the base of the folded jacket collar. At the waist of the jacket was a black belt that went over the jacket with a silver buckle. There was a blue skirt that matched the color of the shoulders and yoke with a small side slit on the left leg. She had tall white leggings that went above her knees, and her shoes were mostly white, with a blue ring protruding above the top like an ankle protector that was slightly thicker than the rest of the shoe below it.

As Minasa Kimisho came up and saw the other two - Bathory and Negati - she stared at them and stopped running. She mostly stopped moving entirely - not frozen in place, but just startled out of her excited sprint. Bathory met her eyes with the same feeling of unexpected shock. He would have paused the same way.

"Minasa?" he asked. "Wow, it's...been forever..."

No doubt the same images were going through both mages' heads, though obviously from very different viewpoints and with different feeling attached to them. Bathory remembered her as the girl he first met on Siba, confronting him like so many Bureau mages did when he was a criminal, but receiving unnecessary punishment in return given her age and skill. He then remembered a chance encounter again on Midchilda, with a renewed relationship that was blown apart again as the girl became a symbol to him of getting something back to Siba and getting back in the planet's graces. The girl probably remembered all that, but as the victim this time - the painful sting of magic damage on her jacket and skin repeatedly, from Bathory's initial attack and then his fierce attempt at re-education - and the moments where she clung to herself tightly on the floor of the training area or in a hospital bed when no one else was there with her.

It was silent between them. Both of them waited for the other to make a move. Bathory half expected Minasa to run away, and if she did so, he might just do the same. But as long as she stood there, he'd do so as well. Finally, Minasa looked apprehensively at Nanoha.

"Umm, Instructor?"

"It's okay," Nanoha answered. "Nothing will happen, and I am here to assist if you need me."

Bathory didn't have to look down as much as he remembered. Minasa had grown - obviously - since he last remembered her as a young girl, the same age as Nanoha was in those movies where she was a kid and also a dead ringer for that version of Nanoha as well. Now, Minasa was taller and had changed her look some. Her natural hair color was still very similar to Nanoha's, but she changed the style so it wasn't so similar. Her Air Forces uniform was also a big change from the mage-in-training clothes he remembered her having.

"Um," the man finally choked out, "how's it going?"

"...ah, okay…"

"Yeah? Good…"

Negati stepped forward when Bathory failed to continue.

"Hi, I don't believe we met. I'm Negati Kardenis. Are you in the Air Force?"

Minasa's eyes showed some life and she smiled.

"Yep. Corporal Minasa Kimisho, Capital Air Force Battalion 2307!"

"Cool," Bathory said. He still faltered. "Are you...um...still training with Nanoha?"

"Oh, I don't really run that many classes anymore," said Nanoha. "With so many people demanding my return, it was getting so tough being there for Vivio. But, she's really taking care of herself now, and she goes to her gym a lot now that the Winter Tournament is coming up…"

"And there are the companies interested in developing for someone of our status if you do return," added Fate.

"Oh, like Caledfwlch?" Nanoha asked. "I know the offer. It's interesting, but not the most compelling reason to return."

"That's good," said Negati. "What do you think, Bathory?"

Her husband faltered with words for a second more before abandoning that train of thought.

"Listen Minasa, I'm so sorry," he spilled out. "You gave me another chance and I just screwed it up. I - I did nothing to change your opinion of me at all. So I'm just gonna stand here, I'm not gonna do any sudden movements, and, like, if you even want to talk to me after everything else, it's your call. I'm not gonna force you."

"Bathory," Negati started.

"Hey, it's okay," Minasa interrupted. "If Nanoha says it's okay, then…"

She glanced over at her Instructor and Nanoha nodded with a smile.

"...then it's been a long time since all of that," Minasa continued. "If you mean it now, then I forgive you."

"I do. I really do," Bathory said. "That whole second chance from before? Throw it away. I was still influenced by Siba. I was still fighting to do something stupid that I shouldn't have wanted to do in the first place. I'm good now. I'm not looking for anything more than to just make up for everything else so far. Give me one more chance."

"It's not about how many chances you have, it's about whether you stick with it," said Nanoha. "And whether you do so or not is how we treat it. You have done well to keep with it, Bathory. I trust you, and I hope Minasa can as well."

Bathory smiled.

"That's...wow, that's Instructor Nanoha right there. I've been a Temporary Instructor a couple times, and yeah, there's a lot more speech crafting than you'd think. I mean - I don't need to tell you what your own job entails, I'm sorry."

"So you two are in the Sailing Force?" Minasa said.

"Yes we are," said Negati energetically. "But only for a mission, usually we're still with the Ground Forces. But - oh, we're working with Siba actually, haven't you heard?"

"I have. I've heard about what's happening."

"Do you still have family there?" asked Bathory. "Someone or something you're worried about?"

The teenage girl grew somber and glanced downwards.

"I actually brought my family here when the fighting got too bad. They weren't safe on Siba…"

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Negati.

"That is what we are trying to change," said Fate. "We don't want anyone else to have to make that decision."

"We're trying hard to fix that," Bathory added. "Maybe if things start looking better, or even if they get worse, would you want to fight for your home planet? I'm ready, Negati's ready...and for Midchilda's side, I mean."

"Maybe. I have my position here on Midchilda though."

"And I'm sure you've worked so hard for it," Negati added.

Bathory laughed and shook his head quickly.

"Minasa, all I want to say next is that you've been doing so well. From the girl I saw years ago to the mage you are now is really something. You can do anything. I see in you a light within your heart that's impossible to stop. If I couldn't do so - and twice, at that - then nothing can."

The younger girl blushed.

"Temporary Instructor, hmm?" Nanoha asked Bathory.

"Ahh, yeah, sometimes you get kids on Nemelendelle that need some extra guidance. I know the whole 'inspirational speeches' side of it even if that's not my main job."

"But we can't leave you out, Nanoha," said Negati. "You're the inspiration for millions of stories like hers. More than that; across this planet, this universe - all of them that the Bureau controls - so many people look up to you. It's...your power, just as a human being, that does that."

"Thank you, you two," said Nanoha.

The moment was interrupted when Hayate came back, putting her arm around the Instructor.

"Okay, I spoke to Chrono, the Claudia's all ready! Oh - hi sweetie!"

Hayate saw Minasa and her attention shifted.

"I remember you - you're one of Nanoha's students, right? What's your name?"

Minasa repeated her name and rank and Hayate clapped.

"Yes, yes, I remember! Minasa, riiiiight."

"Former students," Nanoha said. "I need to clarify, lest Hayate get any ideas."

"You need to get back in it, girl," said the shorter woman. "Vivio's forging her own path. Nove's teaching her everything she needs to know. Your - no, I mean _our_ \- little girl is growing up so fast!"

"You were attempting to get rid of the 'auntie' Hayate nickname, were you not?" teased Fate.

"It makes me sound old!" Hayate cried. "I'm not old! At least, not in spirit!"

"You're definitely not," said Nanoha. You do act very young - maybe too young sometimes."

"Heeey!" Hayate remarked while some of the group laughed. "I'm just...blowing off steam while I can. I'm getting it all out so I can be super serious when I get back to Siba."

"Okay, Hayate," Nanoha joked again. "You can play with Chrono on the Claudia later if you're still wound up."

After another round of playful laugher from Hayate's group or mock indignation from the Commander herself, Nanoha looked back at Bathory.

"You've done a wonderful job. Minasa, what do you think?"

The younger mage smiled.

"Good, I'm glad we could meet again," she said. "And please try and help Siba. We shouldn't have to fight each other."

"I know, and I feel the same," said Bathory. "Thank you for listening, Minasa."

After saying their goodbyes, the group left Nanoha and Minasa to catch up with the three Sibans who were still waiting further away. When the tram arrived, they entered it and soon the tram closed its doors and departed.

* * *

The Claudia

The ship had been traveling for a few hours and the group had dispersed to do their own things for most of it. Ferraz had been all but cornered by Hayate and Signum for more inter-bureaucratic efforts that she'd forgotten she signed up for. Evidently, Hayate was trying to get back in the right mindset and she figured there were still some unanswered questions. Without a great response, or at least without good ones, those questions mostly remained unanswered. But it concluded eventually, and Ferraz trudged to the bridge to see the nose of the ship plummet through the hazy dimensional fog, with the dark purples and blues soaring past on the left and right with an empty blackness in the very center of it all. The Lieutenant noticed Enforcer Fate T. Harlaown speaking with her brother here as well. Those two chatted for a bit until Chrono was called over to a station and Ferraz quietly slipped over there.

"It's amazing how you can do it." She said.

"Do what?" Fate asked, curious.

"The acting! The socializing, playing by the rules, always having the right thing to say, yada yada. And don't say it gets easier with age; we're the same age."

The blonde Enforcer smiled lightly and began to slowly walk towards the windows facing out into the dimensional space.

"Hayate is asking a lot from you, yes, but the more you can provide, the better we can help."

"No, no, I'm not even going that far," said Ferraz. She followed Fate over and paused next to her by the edge of the room. "Surely it was easier before this. Surely there was some point where you were given your Enforcer mission and you just…went and did it. There wasn't so much stress. Why are we asking for that? If someone else tries to raise you up, that's just another person that can also let you down."

"I see."

"And you can say you appreciate the honesty, or that you're not trying to be my enemy, and hell, maybe you say you want to know if we're struggling, but we both know that's crap. It's human to judge, and it's human to elevate yourself. It's cringey to hear weakness, and especially cringey if it's honest. In a room full of dead-silent participants, they all walk away better than if they'd admitted they didn't know. Cut all the justification you're going to give me. I'd rather hear the prayers of the people that are dealing with Siba alongside me than the practiced speeches of an outsider."

"You have not left me with much to say in return."

"And isn't that the point? Isn't that how you win? I'm…I'm sick of wishing I didn't say anything when I get caught off guard. You know the moments - you try and answer someone seriously and they think you're joking with them, or even when you maybe want to joke but it all gets misinterpreted and blows up in your face? I know, I've got the thinnest skin. But it's all that stuff that everyone but yourself appears to be perfect at. Changing what they say or how they say it based on the environment, speaking clear enough to avoid an issue, even ignoring those random destructive thoughts in their heads that you try and kick out before you follow up on them. Maybe all the media out there IS a problem, because the people on TV are perfect until the plot needs 'em to fault. They don't deal with any of the small stuff until the writers says they need to. It's all too easy…just like Midchida. You're too perfect…people aren't that perfect…"

She was cut off with an announcement over the intercom requesting the parties come to the bridge for arrival on Siba. Through shuddering hands and paranoid eyes, Ferraz glanced at Fate again.

"You do not speak of this conversation, got it?"

She walked off before Fate could answer. She found Daito and Hinode when they came out, and then the entirety of the groups that were returning to Siba stood on the bridge. Chrono guided his bridge through re-entry procedure again and soon the wash of dimensional space gave way to a standard image of distant stars surrounding one closer planet. However, in this case, the planet was surrounded by a light blue shield-like layer of magic, with little detail actually visible through it.

"…Oh…" muttered Hayate. "So that's why I couldn't reach her."

"The Dark Screen," Chrono reminded. "Was another test on their agenda?"

"Not that I remember. Oh well. So can we, like, knock on their door?"

Ferraz crossed her arms.

"If they see _you_ through the window, you think they'll want to open up?" she asked

"Hey, stow it!" yelled Vita. "And you were doing so good there. You were so quiet and not in the way."

"I know. How uncharacteristic of me."

Then, the blue shield began to flicker, and after a few pulses of activity, it receded. Soon after, the large screen of the ship bridge opened with General Dreischer Alcyone's face.

"Apologies for that, Commander, we did not expect your return so quickly."

"Hard to do so when you couldn't hear us coming." said Agito.

Hayate quickly coughed and answered for Midchilda.

"I delivered a message upon leaving Midchilda as well, ma'am. We have dropped off our diplomat and are here to continue negotiations."

"Oh, yes, perfect. You can join us at any time, Commander. I take it our own diplomats are still in good health?"

"Yes, General, nothing happened on our end," said Ferraz.

"Good. Well, I'm sure you will be happy to know that Siba has increased our efforts to contain this problem. We will prove to you, with all of our might if necessary, that Midchilda is not needed."

Hayate's brow narrowed. She paused for a moment, responding with more concern in your voice.

"I will see what you mean, General, and I will be the one who decides that. Please prepare our next discussion and resume accommodations."

"I have only the best in mind for you, Commander," said Alcyone with a smirk. "Please see me in my office upon arrival."

"Yes, General."

The feed ended, and Hayate turned to address the Midchildan group along with the three Sibans.

"You three may resume your post. The rest of us will follow the General's orders and meet her for further direction."

* * *

Siba

The Claudia hovered high above the Siban Skyline. On the streets, two women looked up at the imposing figure. One let her messy green hair flow down unprotected while the other had a hoodie over her brown hair that was loose against her body and covered her arms completely. A mechanical hand reached out from the end of one sleeve to rest against the other woman's side.

"They didn't listen," said Lucra.

"No, they did not," said Lova. "Midchilda has returned."

"So what do we do now?"

"Something more. We must be louder than we were before."

Lova parted a strand of her green hair from her face. She narrowed her eyes and pulled a hoodie over her own head as the wind picked up.

"Midchilda cannot erase this planet's mistakes. Whatever happens next is the preface for so much more to come. We will send a signal that this time they cannot ignore."

* * *

When the group teleported down onto the planet, they immediately noticed something different. More mages occupied the halls of the Bureau building and glancing outside revealed a different scene that it was when they left. Air mage squads patrolled overhead with increased regularity, coordinating with the many Bureau vehicles that could be seen down the streets in every direction. Hayate and Fate's eyes quickly showed that they did not like what they were seeing. They approached the General's office and were allowed in. They entered to see Dreischer standing near the windows of her office high above the city.

"General," said Hayate, "with all due respect, what is going on now?"

"That's no way to begin catching up, Commander" said the old woman. "Does you stepping in and interfering with our efforts mean I need to run each and every one of them by you now? Are you saying I must vet my every decision with you first?"

"No, but I'd appreciate-"

"I have increased our Bureau's concentration in the Capitol by calling on additional resources from our sister cities," said the General.

"And how is Siba Capital taking it?" Signum asked.

"We are stronger than ever before," said the General. "Do not underestimate what Siba has available. It is why we are so proactive in recruiting for our Bureau. I admit I may have been making concessions so far, but knowing the severity of the situation, I cannot afford to keep anything off the table."

"General, this is not the answer," said Fate. "Sending more mages out is not the answer if they will continue operating under your planet's philosophy. What will more punishment do except create more zealotry?"

"That question is for you to discuss with Mister Parkensine and the rest of the team. I will not let it affect my policy."

There was a buzz at the door, and the General walked back to her desk.

"Is that the Major?" She asked her secretary. "Perfect timing – bring him in."

Then, she turned to face Hayate again.

"Commander, I will not be able to supervise you for too long. You must begin fielding questions to those more directly linked with our planet's efforts."

The door opened and a man with semi-short, ragged black hair stepped in. He had teal eyes and was in his later twenties – at least a couple years older than Hayate, Fate, Bathory or Negati. He wore the male version of the TSAB Air Forces Uniform. Immediately, this main caught some of the party's attention, though for more than just his presence in the room. In particular, Negati and Bathory stared in disbelief at the air mage.

"N…no way…Satel?" Negati stammered out.

The man looked at them with a similar reaction for just a second before he forced himself to look at the general and respond. His arms went to his sides and he bowed towards Alcyone.

"Major Satel Moraine of the Bureau's Air Forces, at your service!"

"Excellent, Major," replied Alcyone. "I was just briefing the Commander on the structure she should follow while on-planet and in the Capitol. Since I do not wish to be bothered anymore with her direct complaints, I will make you her alternate contact with the Siban Bureau. Since you are leading our air forces on the mission, I presume you can keep her entertained as well. Is that right, Major?"

As the General was talking, Satel couldn't help but sneak several glances at the two former Sibans. After all, one was his former partner and the other was the man he was tasked with preventing from returning to Siba years ago. Both of them – not one, but both – were here together, and they couldn't help but sneak glances as well while attempting to keep their eyes on the General. Once she finished her speech, Satel answered.

"Yes, General Alcyone, I am able to do so."

"Very good, Major. Then your assignment starts now. Please fill our guests in anywhere else but my office floor."

The air mage went to speak but Hayate quickly jumped in first.

"General, there's something else."

"Did I not just tell you that-"

"It's not about your orders. It's about…uhh…scheduling our meeting after this. And…ahh…I think it might be good to give some of us some room to chat."

Bathory and Negati laughed lightly at their obviousness, and Alcyone just sighed.

"Very well. Major, you are dismissed. Commander, and anyone who needs to be there too, come with me."

Alcyone left, followed by Hayate, her Wolkenritter, and Fate. That left Negati and Bathory standing awkwardly opposite Satel, the two sides just staring at each other still. After a few tense seconds, Satel muttered something out.

"Um…yeah. Wow, Crazy seeing you here."

"Y…Yeah," said Bathory.

"So, uhhh…" said Negati, "shall we grab a coffee or something?"

Satel laughed awkwardly again.

"That's a fine idea."

* * *

"Major Moraine, huh? Catchy."

"Yeah, I get that a lot."

The three officers sat around a table in the barracks of the Siban HQ. Satel was on one side while Negati and Bathory were opposite him.

"It's fun to say," the air mage continued. "More fun than Colonel or General Moraine, though that second one obviously sounds nice as nice. Surprising that you're a Lieutenant still, Negati. I would've thought you - both of you, really - would have made more progress."

Negati smiled and leaned back in her chair.

"Ehh, where we live, there's little need to go above that."

"Where is that now?"

"Oh, right, Nemelendelle, where Bathory and I were transferred for our rehab."

"I see."

Satel looked the other two over. Neither had really changed since he last saw them, but there was one addition that caught his attention.

"I notice, are those…wedding rings?" he asked.

"Yep!" answered Bathory. He and Negati did their little synchronized action of holding their hands up to show off. "We've been official for a couple years now."

Satel nodded and sighed, lowering his head to face the cup he was holding with both hands.

"Right. I'm not getting my perfect world where we pick right back up, but I never expected to. I mean, it's been four and a half years since I've seen either of you. First I was counting in weeks or days, then months, but it's years and half-years by now. How did you two...if I can ask that...make it happen?"

Negati leaned forward again.

"Well, after what happened to us on Midchilda, I was looking for someone that listened to me and followed without overriding me – sorry, Satel - and Bathory was looking for someone to lead our way. But also, it was so tough coming from Siba because it felt like no one else truly understood what we had to get rid of. The culture, those toxicities – Even trying my best, I slipped up enough to where they must have thought I was crazy. But Bathory knew, and he was dealing with the same things himself. Our efforts to just become normal brought us closer. I guess kinda that shared experience brought us together because we had to move on. What about you?"

"I – yeah, it's alright to talk about how things were, that's not a problem. I admit I was shaken up when you left. It really confused me and I was searching for some sort of answer. So, I really haven't gone looking again. I got too busy trying to do anything but. Pushed hard on my work, and hey, I have a higher rank to show for it."

His attempted chuckle didn't prevent Negati from taking interest and leaning in.

"Satel, still, you can't just be alone now because of what happened."

"I know, but…Negati, when you went to Midchilda, and I called you one last time, you gave me an order. I needed to leave you alone until I changed. I needed to look at myself and realize what I was doing to you. And then, I needed to wait until I knew it was time to reach out. I reached that last part, and I could never bring myself to do it. Was a year enough time? Was two years enough? So I put it away in the back of my mind – maybe I hoped to move on completely at some point – but you never went away. And finally, this opportunity happened. I saw that you two were here with Midchilda, and the Capital was asking for more mages. Do you think this has been enough time?"

"Certainly. I…well…at some point long ago I hoped I was punishing you, but now? Right, it's been long enough, and I'm not worried at all about catching up. You've certainly mellowed out, it looks like."

The air mage turned his head and looked off into the distance.

"Right. Another part of that shock to the system you gave me was that everything I did was kind of in question. I know it sounds dumb, but I had to put together a full picture of what I did wrong that I didn't know I was doing. So everything Siba tells you to do that goes above and beyond – it suddenly seemed so foreign. I caught a criminal, why did I have to, well, do anything more? They're detained, they're out of the public, did we have to do anything else? I certainly haven't looked as deep as Midchilda's group is doing, but for my part, I tried to just _do_ my part. Maybe there was something in there – or our training procedures – or the way I did anything that you suddenly hated about me and Siba. I had to figure out what that was"

"It's a bit of everything. I'm sure you notice then that the violence by the Bureau is feeding into the peoples' retaliation."

"I know. But whether Midchilda controls us, or Siba does it themselves, we need to stop it. I'd built up our city's air forces long ago, and I'm doing the same here for Siba Capital. Maybe getting more mages here is the right call, if we only do the right things with it."

Quickly, he snapped back to attention and stood up, leaving his cup behind. As the other two stood up, he glanced between them quickly.

"Speaking of, I'm sorry but I need to get back to duty. Negati…Bathory… it's good to see you again."

He was already halfway away when his former partner could answer.

"...Same. Thank you, Satel. We'll keep catching up later."

Bathory watched the other man go. When he was out the doors, Bathory looked at his partner.

"We're meeting a lot of new old faces today, Negati."

"This is bigger than just us, Bathory. I wouldn't be surprised if we see some more before this is over."

* * *

 _I just landed on shore and its nothing like home_  
 _Found I love wondering where I should go_  
 _As expected I feel alone_  
 _As the months go by you become less real in some way_  
 _Like you're just some character from a book_  
 _And every day I forget a page._

 _But hey,_  
 _You mean more than anything._  
 _You mean more than everything t_ _o me._  
 _But hey, I can't keep just thinking about me_

 _But if you hold on,  
I'll be holding on to you.  
If you find your dream,  
Reality will never catch back up to you _

AIHVHIA - _Hold On_


	11. Cosmopolitan Bloodloss Part 1

**Chapter 11 - Cosmopolitan Bloodloss (Part 1)**

* * *

Soon enough, the next round of discussions started with the same group as before, minus Arin and his familiar, Asana. Between the Midchildan group and the Siban group, mainly driven by former General Parkensine, the discussion bounced back and forth like a game with neither side accepting what the other was saying. Unlike last time, Ferraz was quiet. Something still bugged her about the whole trip to Midchilda. Even if it got her away from her sister for a night or so, what she saw raised more questions and just complicated things for herself more than she'd intended.

Instead of taking notes, she subliminally traced a pen across the paper, sketching an image without glancing at it. Her eyes aimed at nothing and her head was off in the deep. Next to Ferraz, Hinode noticed her superior's actions.

"Um…Ferraz?" she tried asking quietly.

"Hmm?"

"W-what are you drawing?"

Ferraz finally looked down. In front of her was a near fully black smudge, a square of deeply inked-in black that was broken by two empty spots representing eyes and a long empty area below where lines were drawn across it and down to represent two rows of teeth. The woman froze. Staring up at her was the creature that lingered over her in her nightmares as a kid. The body and face, void of color, except for its eyes and bared teeth. No expression, though – just an other-wordly, inhumane look staring out at her. There were no bed covers to turn over in now, and she was far too old to shut her eyes and yell at it to go away, even if those childish instincts rose to the surface once again.

All Ferraz could do was rapidly rip the sheet of paper off and crumble it up, almost slamming it down to the table. As she tried to regain her composure, she noticed that Hayate's eyes were on her.

"Lieutenant?" the Commander asked, "Have you been following us?"

A mixture of emotions ran through Ferraz and finally her brashness, stubbornness, and unwillingness to apologize won out. She stood up and slammed her hands down on the table.

"Why don't we just leave the TSAB then!? We'll go independent. You don't have to worry about your brand or whatever, and you can also just leave us alone!"

The room was silent, though it wasn't from shock or consideration, more like a punctuated impatience.

"We have already discussed that," said Hayate. "With what we are seeing from your planet, we are uncomfortable allowing any course of action that lets you continue with the same behavior and laws. It is unfair for the people of your planet to provide your ruling government with such an easy out."

Ferraz was caught between trying to look intentionally passionate or admitting she'd overreacted. With awkwardness dragging on, she conceded and sat back down.

"Huh, well…uhh…if that's how you see it, then, yeah, okay then."

The discussion continued on for a while longer when there was a big noise from outside.

"What was that?" asked Hayate.

Across the main Siban radio system, images of an explosion and fighting close to the Siba Capital Bureau building projected onto screens. Some of the Midchildan group looked on with concern, but across from them, Gerin Parkensine just sighed and slowly stood up.

"Of course they would cause trouble after you returned. Nobody is happy with Midchilda's interference, no matter what side of Siba you're on."

At Parkensine's side, his device started to pulse.

[INCOMING TRANSMISSION]

"Answer it, Golden Arrow."

The old man put the screen up on the wall for all to see. Major Satel Moraine was on the other end.

"Sir, this appears to be a concentrated attack on the Bureau HQ," Satel said. "We believe they're trying to disrupt the negotiations."

"And they certainly are, damn it!" Parkensine shot back. "Hard to get anything done when we're all staring at fires. Get this under control!"

"We will, sir. And don't you worry, we are sending officers right now to escort your parties to safety."

"I can do that myself, Major. Perhaps I'll escort myself to Dreischer's office and have a chat with her."

Satel's brow furrowed, and it was obvious he didn't enjoy Parkensine's stubbornness.

"I don't want to deviate from our standard protocol, sir. Especially not with the company we have currently."

"Then I shall break protocol. I know the way. Now, the Commander and her friends – they may need a guide, but not me. Have your officers get them underground and keep an eye on them."

"I'm sorry, what!?" Vita cried. "You want us to just sit pretty? You do know who's in the room with ya, right? The best of the best, that's who!"

"Vita is right," Signum added. "We would like to provide our assistance in quelling the attack."

"Do you not trust Siba to do so without your interference?" asked Parkensine. "We are warriors. This will not go unpunished."

"Apologies, sir," said Fate, "but we have seen a trend of your Bureau struggling in recent attacks. This is not about proving a point. This is about restoring peace and defending from those who wish to do harm."

The door to the conference room opened and two mages in their late teens rushed in. Their barrier jackets matched – both closely based on the Air Forces uniform but with protective elements to them.

"Siba Capital Air Force, Battalion 27," one of them said. "We are here to get you to safety. Please follow us."

"If what the former General says is true, then I do not see all of our assistance as needed," said Fate. "However, I do think allowing Midchilda to provide support will reduce the strain seen by your Bureau. The mages on the streets below would appreciate a helping hand."

The response came from another muffled explosion down below on the streets by the Bureau HQ. Hayate added to what Fate said before.

"And if this continues, we may not even give you an option."

Parkensine sighed and paused, but he eventually answered.

"What are you imagining?"

"I do have some faith in your Bureau, so I do not imagine we all must support you now," said Hayate. "Reinforce Zwei and I shall be escorted to the zone you have arranged for us. I would like my knights to contribute, however."

"Awesome!" Vita yelled.

"Understood," Signum answered.

"I will join Hayate," said Fate. "I believe that Signum, Agito, and Vita's efforts are enough."

"Fine, then," said Parkensine. "It's done. Lieutenant Delahaye, take your team and guard the teleportation chambers. We don't want _that event_ happening again, do we?"

The old man glared from the corner of his eye at Bathory and Negati, and both ex-Sibans looked back. They all remembered the same instance where an Enforcer and a whole family of cyborgs teleported in for a surprise attack.

"No problem, sir," said Ferraz. She crossed her arms and returned to her regular personality. "We can do that. Daito, Hinode, let's go."

The three walked casually out of the room. They were only on guard there because they were closest and not because anyone really expected anyone to use the teleporters. Maybe if Midchilda really tried sending more mages over, they could block the request, but that would be it.

"We want to help too," said Negati, motioning to her husband as well. "Siba is still our hope. I will do anything to help it."

On the screen, Satel laughed softly.

"You never could back down, Negati-"

"Who is in control here?" Parkensine asked loudly. "I thought I gave a direct order."

"Well, sir," said Hayate, "as you do not have an official rank anymore, I take the lead role as a Commander. I will allow all courses of action brought up by my subordinates and friends. My knights, along with our diplomats, shall assist your Bureau."

She turned to face the mages who had run into the room some time ago.

"The rest of us shall follow you to safety."

The two air mages looked at each other, confused. One of them eventually answered.

"Umm…so we should proceed to the elevators. We can stop at the lobby for anyone who…ahh…wants to depart then."

Hayate nodded, and as most of the party went to leave the room, Vita glanced back at the screen with Major Satel Moraine on the other end.

"Hey fly boy, ya heard of the Wolkenritter here, right?"

"Of course," said Satel. "Just stories, though. I don't believe you've been here yourself."

"Well, actions speak louder than words. No offense to you bombardment types, but we ain't here just to show up and blow up."

"That's Nanoha's job, right?"

"Oh, still got a little spark in ya, huh? If I remember right, you got some history with Midchilda."

"You can tell me what you remember afterwards. Now get out here - I can't wait to fly with a Wolkenritter."

The call ended, and Vita rushed out of the room to catch up with the others. Though she and Signum could just break a window and fly out, Hayate stressed that leaving through the front door was the respectful option.

* * *

They got out to the sounds of a battle zone. Vita and Signum activated their weapons and went to their barrier jackets.

"You ready?" asked Vita.

"Certainly," said Signum. "Agito, follow my lead!"

The purple-haired knight and the hovering unison device both glowed brightly as their blue uniformed were tuned out. In a short instant, they returned in their barrier jackets, Agito having fused with Signum too.

Vita swept her eyes over the front courtyard, noticing the Bureau vehicles parked in a line right in front of the entrance but also open streets beyond the fighting.

"I don't see a containment effort, do you?" she asked.

"No I do not. There is nothing preventing our attackers' retreat."

The hammer knight chuckled and clenched Graf Eisen tightly.

"We always gotta do everything ourselves! Graf Eisen, Gefängnis der Magie!"

A red Belkan magic triangle formed on the ground below her, and A lighter-colored spherical barrier raced out from her position. It encompassed the area and then paused at its limit to the sound of near-silence. As the sounds of magical projectiles picked up again, more frantic than before, Vita rose into the air with a smirk.

"Alright! We meet back here when we've finished the job."

"Understood," Signum said and took off as well.

Vita immediately raced for the nearest battle, dodging stray shots that raced up from random people on the ground below. She paused and immediately put up a red protective barrier as concentrated bursts of magic ran into it.

"Grh! You'll pay for that! Schwalbefliegen."

With a roar, she reared the hammer back as four iron projectiles summoned in front of her. Continuing to roar louder, she slammed the hammer around into the balls, launching them at the groups below. With several explosions, it scattered the attackers and blew up a car that many of them had scattered behind.

Mean while, Signum pressed in another direction.

"There!" Agito called out from within and Signum held the sword form of Laevatein out.

"Laevatein, Bogenform!"

The sword began turning into a large bow and arrow with the same purple and white highlights. Signum pulled the string back, charging the mana into the arrow. Several cartridges ejected out of the device and she aimed down a street past where the Siban Bureau had tried to set up a barricade. It looked like they were losing ground, though. In front of them was a pack closing in, but they all saw as Signum aimed in their direction and fired. The shot slammed into the road and then a trail of fire flew down the street before it, tossing the attackers back with only magic damage.

Signum noted another mage's presence flying to her, but was assured this was no enemy. Instead, it was Satel.

"You don't appear to need any help, do you?" he asked.

"And what would you do if I did request it?"

"Ah… watch your back? Take notes?"

"Route your team, Major. Vita and I are acting upon Mistress Hayate's orders."

* * *

Down on the ground game, it was intense. Bathory raced under several projectiles, sliding into a position to attack a group of multiple people. He raised his arm in the air and the firing ports locked on to the crowd around him, blasting each with enough magic to disable them. With someone else coming up, the ground mage in his own barrier jacket aimed Aphelion and the ports returned to normal, sending several shotgun-like blasts that broke the others' barrier and incapacitated them.

"This wasn't just someone with a grudge!" he yelled, "this must have been coordinated!"

[INDEED, MASTER] said Aphelion.

Bathory rounded the corner, coming face to face with another group of attackers. In the ensuing stare down, several activated magic physical weapons like blades, and slowly they started to circle Bathory.

"Shouldn'ta come back, boy!" one of them said behind a pulled up collar that hid the bottom of their face.

"Aphelion, what's my mana levels?" Bathory asked.

[YOU ARE OPERATING AT 85 PERCENT]

"Cartridges?"

[NONE LOADED, FOUR IN RESERVE]

"Plenty," he whispered. "It's fine, it's fine…"

Before anyone could act first, a figure dropped in from above next to one of the attackers. As the startled attacker tried to react, this new figure reached up for the throat, clenching it tightly. With a swift knee to the chest, the opponent was down to the floor and a second. The person now closest to this figure turned and was met with several violent punches that sent them stumbling back and to the floor.

Bathory watched on. The person had a smaller stature, with loose, plain, basic-colored clothes that hid their skin and identity. They wore a hoodie to try and cover their head, though some streaks of brown hair fell from the sides of it. Baggy pants and regular shoes did the same effective job at avoiding a memorable outfit. The really odd part though was the hands – covered by winter gloves to where all skin was protected, even though it certainly wasn't cold enough to need them.

Another person fell to several violent punches that had strike-arts-level power to them, and then Bathory realized the world was still turning. He spun and fired Aphelion at one of the attackers that had gotten behind him, landing several attacks as one other person got in close with a magic blade. Bathory quickly summoned his own dark green blade from the side of his left-wrist gauntlet and blocked the attack while putting the last opponent down. With the sound of one more person being thrown against a wall, the fight was over.

Bathory looked over at the mysterious person. They were panting, and that was enough to know it was a woman underneath the odd disguise. Bathory took a step towards her.

"Hey, ahh, thanks for the help, are you-"

Suddenly, the woman reached out and grabbed Bathory's wrist. She glanced at him quickly, eyes wide with worry.

"They're almost ready!" She yelled. "I know where they are!"

She turned and ran, pulling Bathory along forcefully. He stumbled trying to keep up, partly trying to slow down.

"Hold on! Who's almost ready? Hey!"

The woman led Bathory into the parking garage, out of the main area and down another floor or two, ignoring his protects the entire way. By the time she was dragging him down an aisle of parked cars to the back area of the garage, Bathory had had enough.

"Wait, stop!"

He finally freed himself from the woman and stopped running. The woman stopped as well, but kept her back to him. Bathory fired off the questions he'd been trying to say while lightly catching his breath.

"Hold on, hold on. I need some answers. Who is they? What's going on? Hell, who are you?"

The woman paused again and took a deep breath. She turned around, pulling her hood down to reveal her face and her wavy brown hair. She reached for a glove and pulled it off to reveal a cybernetic hand underneath it.

"I'm the distraction," said Dancer.

It took only a moment for Bathory to realize this person was in the group that attacked Arin. He raised Aphelion up and was about to speak when he heard groaning sounds from the ceiling above. As he glanced up, the ceiling suddenly gave way, with bold green binds pulling the framework of the parking garage floor down onto him. Bathory covered himself and crouched down, putting up his own dark green protective barrier. The weight of the concrete, metal, and cars was so much though that the barrier cracked immediately and shifted down until Bathory had to fall to the floor. He pushed as much as he could into the barrier to keep from being crushed, and it gave him just enough space to lay face-down on the concrete below. He swung his device forward and called out to it in a pained tone.

"Aphelion…Flight Driver!"

Another green blade of energy shot out from the device and Bathory dug it into the floor. The blade pushed forwards, carrying the device it was connected to and the man connected to that forwards out from below the rubble. As it did, the barrier shattered and the debris crashed into the floor of the garage section.

Bathory slowly pushed himself up while a woman with frizzy green hair and of similar age to the other two ran out from behind a pillar.

"Did it work?" asked Dreamer. "No? Crap. Guess it's time for the backup plan."

"You two!" Bathory shouted. "The girl with the cybernetics, the woman with green hair! You attacked Arin and Asana."

"Our reputation precedes us," said Dancer.

"See? You hit the right people and now they pay attention," Dreamer added. "But Midchilda didn't listen. They came back determined to put these fires out themselves. They burn so amazing though – why would you?"

"It's the Bureau's job to ensure the safety of their people," said Bathory. "I know Siba's Bureau might have lost the message, but Midchilda doesn't want you to suffer any more."

"So you'll just brush them aside?" asked Dancer. "Excuse their actions? Pave over all the pain and prejudice they've shown us?"

"You should remember what it's like," Dreamer said. "What it's like to be an outcast. What it's like to have no hope. You got out with the help of an angel, Bathory. But the rest of us don't have angels."

"And if you've forgotten…then we can remind you."

Bathory glanced back and forth between the women. He was confused.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Midchilda didn't listen to what we told them last time," said Dancer. "So instead of giving you back with some broken bones, we're just not gonna give you back at all. At least, until they really get the point this time."

Before Bathory could react, a teal-green Belkan triangle formed under him. He looked down, expecting some bindings to wrap around him, but instead two teal strands of magic raced out to the pile of debris behind him and wrapped themselves around a long section of concrete. Then, the binds retracted, pulling the concrete pillar at the ground mage rapidly. He cast another barrier in front of him, but the pillar smacked into his barrier with enough force to make him stumble back. As the concrete crumpled, Bathory heard a grunt from behind and turned around to see a mechanical fist flying towards his face. The was nothing he could do to prevent getting punched backwards violently, skidding along the ground to a stop.

As the battle went on, Bathory could barely get an attack in between his two attackers. Dancer stayed in close, and even when the ground mage could get away, Dreamer filled in the gaps with more tendrils to dodge or gates to corral Bathory where they wanted him. He fought back with all he had; it seemed to be a fight for his own freedom after all. Eventually, he felt himself nearing his limit and had to do something out of desperation.

"Aphelion, give me everything!" he cried. His device started charging up, spitting out both cartridges that remained in the device. With a magic triangle a bolder green than before, he aimed at the woman rushing at him with a clenched robotic fist and fired. Dancer took the blast and fell back, bounding against the ground and laying there momentarily. With that, Bathory looked over at the wreckage brought in front the floor above and raced to it, seeing his only escape.

Dreamer's eyes went wide and she reached out.

"No!"

A teal-green binding shot out from a wall – wherever the woman could first summon it – and in wrapped around Bathory's leg and tripped him up. With a similar panic, more random bindings flew in from all sides to wrap the man up. Another bind from above reached his other leg and retracted, pulling him upside down. In his struggle, one bind from the side hit his opposite arm and pulled it taught behind his back, forcing him to twist lest it get pulled from its socket. Another bind grabbed his other arm and pulled it to the floor, and a final tendril reached up from the floor and wrapped around his neck. The binds all pulled taught, and Bathory couldn't breathe.

His eyes bulged and he gasped out, pulling at each binding but making no escape. He glanced at the teal-haired woman who was staring back, only finally calming down as she realized she'd stopped his escape. Bathory gasped for air again and tried to speak.

"Hey…please…"

Dancer limped over to her partner, clutching the spot where Bathory's attack hit. There was no taunting from anyone, no smugness at victory or plans for a speech. The women just looked on, catching their breath, while Bathory looked back through his hazier and hazier vision, hoping they had meant they wanted him alive.

Dreamer glanced at her partner.

"You should finish this."

"Yeah…yeah, I will…"

Dancer walked over to Bathory. Through his drooping eyes, he watched her pause in front of him and gasp in pain once again. She took a sharp breath, went for the punch, and then everything went black.


	12. Cosmopolitan Bloodloss Part 2

**Chapter 12 - Cosmopolitan Bloodloss (Part 2)**

* * *

"What do you mean he's gone?" Hayate explained.

"And no signal from Aphelion either," said Negati.

They were looking at a screen and Chrono was on the other end from the Claudia.

"That is the thing," he said, "we don't have a signal but we did receive a message recorded from your diplomat's device."

"From Bathory?" Fate asked.

"Unfortunately not."

"Show us," said Hayate.

Chrono obliged and his feed was played over by the message transmitted. The first second or two was the floor of a dark room before the focus was raised up to face a woman with messy, teal green hair. She began speaking.

"This is a message to all the Midchildians who are interfering with this planet. You need to stay out of this fight. Everything we're doing to this Bureau, they've brought upon themselves. Don't you dare try to stop us or save them. And to make sure you don't try…"

The focus turned down to face Bathory's unconscious body. He was laying there, but his arms were held behind his back via a rope around his wrists. The woman who was speaking walked over and knelt down next to Bathory so she was back in frame of the recording.

"We've got him as a hostage. I'm not afraid to do whatever's necessary to make you leave. Here are my orders: get back on your ship and fly back to Midchilda until we've destroyed this planet's Bureau. Maybe then we'll give him back. Otherwise, if you stay, I'll have to do something to punish you. Maybe you'll get one of his fingers each day you don't comply. Or maybe…"

The woman looked at her captive and reached down to touch his face.

"…or maybe I'll pull out his teeth instead. Yeah, there's more of those - that'll last longer."

She returned her focus to the camera.

"But something will happen if you don't do what I tell you to. I guarantee that. You'll get a day to decide, but after that, he'll start suffering. Don't reply back. We're blocking this device's signal as soon as this goes out. But it doesn't want "its master" hurt, and neither do you. We're done here."

The screen returned to showing Chrono's image. Fate crossed her arms and shook her head.

"Was there any location data sent with the message?"

"None that we could get," said her brother.

"Damn it!" cried Vita. "They know what they're doing."

"So what are we going to do?" Negati asked. "And don't tell me he's expendable. That's _my husband_ , damnit!"

"We also cannot give into the terrorists' demands," Chrono replied. "That would not reflect well on us."

"This Capital's Bureau's first priority is to get our damn diplomat back," said Vita. "Tell these incompetent idiots to drop whatever they're doing and fix this."

"Vita's patience with this planet, as well as my own, is growing thin," Signum added. She tried to be more nuanced than her fellow hotheaded knight.

Between them all, there was the sound of a glass shattering. They looked over and saw that Negati had crushed a glass she was holding. Her arm had the red lines of magic up it down to her hand, and she had broken it with her sheer magic strength. Her hand and arm trembled and she bared her teeth.

"Those two with Bathory…they're _dead_. That's all I'm gonna add."

* * *

He was standing, suddenly, in a dark hallway that seemed to stretch on forever. Bathory looked around, confused. He felt nothing and he couldn't really remember anything. Was this a dream? It felt ethereal, unexpected, unconnected.

"Where am I?" he asked.

Ahead of him, doorways suddenly materialized on both sides of the hall at identical intervals, also stretching on into infinity. Aside from the sound of them all coming in, there wasn't any activity on the other side of the doorways in the rooms behind them. At least, none Bathory could currently hear.

"Hello?" he asked. "What's going on? Where am I?"

Nothing was happening by standing still, so he cautiously walked up to the first doorway. Peering in, he saw a dim, desolate room that he knew well – the teleportation chamber room at the top of the Siba Capital bureau building. And resting against the side wall about halfway across the room…was himself.

Bathory knew exactly what was going on. This was a memory of years ago, when he had been excommunicated from Siba and had tried so hard to get back. He'd kidnapped that cyborg – Subaru Nakajima, if this dream-self could recall correctly – and had brought her to Siba. It wasn't enough though to get in the General's good graces, so he and Arin had found themselves racing to escape. More details came back to Bathory, and it was like a perfect third-person recreation of the scene from his memories. A trail of blood led to his past self resting against the wall and led straight to a bloody stump that was his leg.

The modern Bathory looking at this glanced down at his cybernetic leg. With the artificial skin covering it, there was no indication that anything unnatural was underneath. It wasn't like that Siban woman's obvious robotic arms. Sighing, Bathory looked back at his past self and noticed one other thing from this moment years ago – the gun he was holding. Now, Bathory remembered more from that moment here on Siba, before he was saved and brought back to Midchilda. That weapon was intended to be used on the cyborg who had escaped, but that never happened. It was held on to, and through the pain and bloodloss that the boy had faced in the injury from his escape, the Bathory in the past had intended to use the weapon on himself.

Watching the scene, Bathory shook his head, sighing. He spoke as if the memory could hear him.

"It's not worth it. I know it doesn't look good now, but…just…wait a little longer."

Still, even as it hurt to watch this happen, he remained calm since he knew how it would play out. Even as his younger self put the gun against his head and screamed out violently, the man watching sighed sadly and turned his head so his past self was in his periphery.

But suddenly, his past self pulled the trigger. A bullet ripped through his head and bloody brain matter scattered violently out the back of his skull onto the wall. Bathory spun, shocked, to see his past self tumble lifelessly to the floor with his facial features blasted apart beyond recognition. Below the painting of blood on the wall was a heavy pool around the corpse building and pouring out of the split-open skull. It was a gross and shocking sight and Bathory could only watch, unable to pull his eyes away. Though he couldn't wretch, he could still feel the absolute shock and horror that came from looking on at the sight.

"No!" he yelled. "N – no! No!"

A sound began to build, like a vortex growing louder and louder until it was overbearing. Bathory glanced over at the other side of the room and saw a mass wall of darkness begin enveloping the room. Something primal in him told himself that this was caused by the event he'd watched, and also that he could not get swallowed up by this darkness. Forcing himself to move, he ran for the exit that was created in this odd space and back into the hallway.

He looked at where he started from and the darkness was coming from that direction too. He looked the other way, down the hall with all the entrances, and he realized what this was. Every opening led into the same room, where he would be laying there with a trail of blood leading to a tourniquet-ed stump of a leg and a gun in his hand to kill himself with. The Bathories in all the rooms right in front of him were already screaming, and gunshots followed from each one.

Darkness overwhelmed each of those rooms and reached out to Bathory in the hall. He suddenly understood what was going on. He was falling behind and he began to run. Down the hall, as he passed each room, he heard the same primal screams and the shots that signaled the end of his life. But as he ran, he was catching up - racing by earlier in the memory. Finally he could see in front of him an end to the hallway. There weren't infinite rooms – now there were finite chances. Running as fast as he could, Bathory raced to the final opening, where his past self was beginning to roar. He ran over to his past self and dove forward.

"NO!"

He reached out and swatted the gun away before the younger boy would have fired. Quickly pushing himself to his knees, he turned to look at his past self again. Now, the arm holding the gun was out to the side, and Bathory's younger self let it drop to the floor. The memory now played out as he remembered it happening.

"I can't do it…" his past self cried. "I can't do it…"

Watching on, Bathory was completely silent, waiting for another change. He was surprised when the normal door to the room that led out into the hallway of the Bureau opened up. He turned to see who entered. It was a short, white-haired girl with an eyepatch over one eye. Subaru's sister - Cinque Nakajima.

Bathory watched as the memory played out. Cinque silently walked to his resting self, and the Bathory watching on knew it was going to be alright. Cinque would save him, Fate and the others would show up, they'd get him to Midchilda, and he would recover. It was okay now. Things were going as they went back then. Bathory felt calm.

From the other door - the one that only he could see and use - there was light now instead of dark, and a richer noise that was warm and welcoming. He stood up, still unseen by the other parties, and walked toward the door feeling an accomplishment. He had that, but also some questions on his mind. What was the purpose of this? Was it a strange nightmare? Was this a memory he still had questions about? Or maybe, just maybe, did he save himself at that moment years ago? There was no answer he could devise, so he stepped through the opening and into the light.

* * *

He awoke, slowly and groggily, and everything hurt. He groaned. The woman watching him looked over again.

"Geez, finally," said Lucra. "I thought you died there for a bit."

Bathory recognized the voice and it all suddenly came back to him – the ambush, the attack, and the defeat by the two women - Dancer and Dreamer, as they called themselves. He looked around at his surroundings – the floor of a nondescript room with little in it, then walls, a ceiling, and one of the two attackers looking down at him. Bathory was laying on the floor. He tried to move, only to realize that he couldn't use his arms. He could feel something around his wrists keeping them together behind his back. It was a physical rope and not a magic bind. He thrashed uncoordinated with the energy he had, but that was limited and he made no progress in escaping or even getting off his side.

"Hey, hey," said Lucra, "don't break anything. I'll be right back"

She briefly left the room, and Bathory kept trying to do anything to escape. He was still so dazed from the fight and being knocked out that even with his mouth available and his feet and legs free, he could not get anything to work. All he could do was kick himself away from the door and against the opposite wall as the brown haired woman returned with her partner, the teal-haired woman who was also there at the scene.

"You're right, that did take a while," Lova said. "Well, he's up, so go find our 'acquaintance' and send him over."

"Right."

Lucra left and Lova looked down at Bathory. Lova leaned against the wall as Bathory stammered something out.

"L - listen, I – I'm not gonna be a hero. I have a wife, and…and we want to have a family soon, I have friends and Bureau mates who care for me…I'll tell you whatever you want, or I can try. Siba might have changed something since I was on the Bureau. I don't know. But…please, what do you want from me?"

Lova blinked a couple times and shrugged.

"I don't know…I need you to sit there, really. You're a hostage. That's basically it. You sit there until Midchilda agrees to our demands and leaves."

Bathory pulled at the rope around his wrists again. Without being able to use his magic, that easily-cut-through piece of material was actually effective.

"And Aphelion? Where is it?"

"Oh, that's your device, I guess?"

The woman reached in her pocket and pulled out a dark green gem. It was covered with teal-colored magic, almost like a see-through box.

"Yeah, it's here," she continued. "I locked it up though so it can't send or receive anything."

Bathory nodded weakly.

"That's good… please don't hurt it."

Lova turned Aphelion over and looked at it while continuing.

"So it sounds like we're on the same page here. I don't want this to be too hard, neither do you, that's good. There's one other thing though that's gotta happen…"

She put Bathory's device away and pulled a different device from her other pocket. This one was also in its standby form, but she activated it and it turned into a long staff with a jeweled head at one end. Bathory recognized it – a Gauss Staff, given to some Bureau officers who were not powerful enough to have intelligent devices. It provided a constant hard-hitting output for a wide range of input magic levels. Obviously, civilians were never meant to get one.

"A Gauss Staff?" Bathory asked, trying to back away further. "Where did you get that?"

"That's your question?" Lova asked. "We've been doing this for a while. We take what we can. That should be obvious with where you are now. So, hold still."

She aimed the device at Bathory, charged it, and fired. Bathory took the blast, and without any protective magic of his own, the magic from the attack surged through him painfully. He cried out and fell to the floor, feeling his nerves twitch from the painful blast. As he gritted his teeth and tried to take deep breaths, Lova deactivated that device too.

"I don't want to put too much of my own effort into keeping you here. So if we can hit you with a couple of those a day, that and the rope should be enough to keep you around."

Bathory certainly understood. Whatever fight he'd been building up since waking was gone again. He was weakened by the shot, and while it was all non-lethal magic damage, it was enough to keep him where he was. The brown-haired accomplice walked into the room again, followed by two men. The first was taller and burlier than the other and he wore a mask with two eye-holes cut out so he could see. The other, smaller guy had a thick scarf that covered his face below the nose even though they were inside. The rest of their clothes were nondescript – plain-colored attire that covered their bodies. Lova turned to face the new arrivals.

"Okay, you found him – oh, and you brought the quiet kid too?"

"He followed along," said Lucra. "I think _someone_ has been telling people about our little situation."

She glared at the taller man – the one they had intended to bring – and he shook his head.

"He's followed me around ever since he met me in this crazy group of yours."

"Don't call us crazy," said Lova. "What's up with the stupid mask? I can barely hear you. Take it off."

"Oh, I want it to be a surprise for Bathory. And – oh, yes, there he is."

He turned to face the captive, and Bathory tried to get off his side and back to sitting up.

"D-do I know you?" Bathory asked.

"Good question," the man replied. He walked up slowly to the cowering man. "Four years ago, you put me away. Those prisons have made my life hell… until these two broke me out. I gotta thank them for giving me a second chance…and for delivering you back to me."

The man walked back to Lova, Lucra, and the other person who had yet to speak.

"Do you have his device?"

Lova took it out again and the man held his hand out.

"May I have it?"

"Why?"

"I want it…for my collection."

"What collection? We broke you out of transport from half the world away."

"Right…my new collection…"

Lova rolled her eyes and handed Aphelion over. The man pocketed it with a light chuckle. Lucra glanced at the other arrival with the scarf around his lower face.

"Then you – I guess your job is to make sure your buddy doesn't do anything stupid. We need Bathory alive and, mostly in one piece for negotiations or whatever crap Midchilda's gonna do. So, if your friend gets out of line, pull him back or find us, but we'd rather not have to babysit you two. Got it?"

The other man nodded. Lucra almost rolled her eyes as well.

"Okay, we'll see if we can leave you alone for five minutes. Contact us if you don't think we can. You might have to say something though – and yes, I've seen your paper. Do hand signals or something."

Lucra and Lova walked out of the room, glancing back once more at the taller man. It was a look that tried to keep him in line, even though they were leaving him alone. Once they shut the door, and it was the three men in the room, the taller man turned to face Bathory again.

"So…you have no idea how much I've suffered because of you."

"Please," Bathory pleaded, "I know Siba's done more than they needed to. And I know I was part of that. But…we're here to help you, all of you. Everyone deserves a second look through Midchilda's eyes. The people, even the prisoners…we can change your fate, or at least treat you better."

The man knelt down menacingly, staring Bathory down. Behind the mask covering his face, all Bathory could see was two judgmental eyes.

"Oh, I already have a plan for that…and you're a very integral piece. But for now, I think it's time I reintroduce myself."

Menacingly, he reached for the bottom part of the mask and pulled it off. Below that was a scarred face, bald at the top. Immediately, the man's entire demeanor changed, as if it had all been an act.

"Hey Bathory!" he said almost friendly. "Remember me?"

Bathory glanced at the man. It wasn't immediate. He'd done enough on the Siba Capital bureau that he couldn't pin one person down. He was also completely thrown off by the change in personality.

"Um…I…"

"Oh, come on, you don't remember? The city of Victamius, four years ago? You were hiding out, and I was totally gonna kill you but then you told me who you were? We went on a lot of great adventures there for a month or two. Oh, and I really don't blame you for me getting caught, you had to deal with that Enforcer and all, it was an act so the people here thought I was serious."

The extremely specific monologue brought one name to Bathory's tongue – one name Bathory never thought he'd think about or ever see again.

"No way…Yautja?"

"Yep,, Yautja Crawmer, in the flesh!"

The details flew back quickly to Bathory. This man – Yautja – found him out when Bathory was on the run from his incident, and basically indentured him under the pretense of giving him pay and not turning him in. Of course, more often than not Bathory was the reason they got away with the crimes they did. Yautja could get in over his head easily, but it was better to have any ally than no ally at the moment.

"How are you here in the Capital?" Bathory asked.

"Ahh, that's the crazy part. My floor officer said some shit, I said some shit back, you gotta act like you don't care about the consequences, right? So now I'm getting deported to the Capital's Prison when those girls bust the van and break us all out!"

Bathory stared at Yautja and slowly shook his head.

"How…the hell…did you ever survive prison?"

"Very…carefully…"

"So who's the other guy?" Bathory asked, glancing at the other figure. "Do you know him? Do I know him? Should I know him?"

That was answered as the silent figure took out a heavily-creased piece of paper, unraveled it, and showed Bathory one side.

 _My name is Isuzu_ , it read. Bathory continued to be confused.

"O…kay? Why are you showing me that instead of -"

Isuzu quickly turned the paper over. There was something else on the back side.

 _I cannot speak._

Bathory sighed. "I guess that's an obvious follow-up. But still, not even, like, telepathic? _You can't do it like that_?" he said, projecting the last sentence telepathically. He was met with a blank stare. "Okay, fine. So Yautja, why are you doing this? Not to talk you out of it, but you have reason to hate the Bureau the same as a lot of people here."

"True," said the bald man while he felt some of the facial cuts he'd received during his prison stay. "But I needed an opportunity to get out of this resistance that wouldn't mean going right back to the Siban Bureau. I need an opportunity like Midchilda's arrival because…it's about Efra."

Bathory paused again.

"Efra…"

"Yeah, my sister? Efra Crawmer? I…I haven't seen her since the night I was brought in. No visitation hours, no anything for someone like me."

"Like you?"

"I mean, we nearly killed those Lieutenants, remember? They knew my face."

"Right. Oh, Yautja, about that-"

"So if I can get someone like you to get me out of here, and if Midchilda is really more accommodating…then I might get to see her again."

"Yautja, if you get me out of here, I'll seriously do whatever is needed to make that happen. So, that's the plan, right? Are you gonna get me out, or…"

"Yeah, yeah, hold still."

He produced a small energy blade and cut the rope binding Bathory's hands together. Bathory slowly got to his feet and Yautja presented him with Aphelion. With the thick green binding around the device, it couldn't do anything until freed.

"Are you gonna break those locks?" Yautja asked

"Hold on. If I do, the one mage will know, and then they'll be after all of us. We need to sneak out of here somehow or get to a spot where I _can_ access Aphelion. I want to, trust me. Aphelion can send a distress call. But until we're out of this lair, we need to wait. What does Isuzu do?"

They both looked at the third person in their party. With both sides of his paper shown and nothing more to say, the mage with a scarf over his mouth crossed his arms and looked on.

"You want out as well, right?" Bathory asked.

Isuzu nodded.

"So you won't tell on us, right?"

Isuzu nodded.

"Are you coming with?"

Again, he nodded.

"Fine by me," Bathory shrugged. "I'm trusting you both with my life. I do not want to know what would've happened if I was stuck as a prisoner."

"Yeah, it would have been rough," said Yautja. "I heard they were gonna pull out your teeth!"

"What? They were gonna…dear Kaiser, thank you for this miracle."

* * *

The group pulled the door open and looked out into the hallway. This was part living space and probably part base of operations for the Dancer and Dreamer duo, so it wasn't known who could see them or nor. Still, this looked to be a standard hall in a regular block of apartments and not a secret underground lair or cell in a maximum-security space base. There weren't any windows around here though to provide an easy escape

As they tried racing quietly down the hall, Bathory asked a question.

"So these two – the two that captured me – do you know them well?"

"I mean, enough to have basic details but not like their whole family history."

"Yeah, I don't need that, enough to know what they're like and what their power extent is. They attacked my friend, they kidnapped me, and it sounds like they've done a lot more here in the Capital. Are they the leaders? Is there someone above them? What's the structure?"

"Lucra and Lova, but they call themselves Dancer and Dreamer. If you want me to answer any one question, can you not ask so many at once then?"

"Oh, what, can't walk and think at the same time?"

"Bathory, stop. I'm helping you out, but I can as easily call in and tell them that-"

Yautja's device suddenly began to buzz with activity. The trio froze and glanced down at it.

"It's them," Yautja said while turning pale.

"Okay, here's what you do," Bathory said, "We stay out of sight and you answer it. Nothing's wrong, you roughed me up, you're leaving."

"And what if they want me to go back?"

"Then you say you will, and end the call, and we keep going! Now hurry up before they think you're ignoring them."

Bathory pulled Isuzu with him to stand in front of Yautja as the other man answered the device and a screen appeared in front of him.

"Heeeeeey girls, what's up?" Yautja tried asking smoothly. He was met with blank stares from Lova and Lucra.

"…Uhh, never do that again," Lucra said. "But hey, I think there is some info we can get from Bathory."

Yautja looked past the screen to see Bathory nodding wildly.

"Yeah, okay, I can go back and get that,"

"Wait, BACK?" Lova asked. "You left already?"

"Yeah I did, so what?"

"Didn't you want revenge or something?"

"Didn't you two want him alive?"

"I figured you'd want to do more than spend 10 seconds and call it quits!" yelled Lucra. "That's the only reason we let a brainless moron like you watch him rather than get someone we knew."

"Brainless? Excuse me?" Yautja asked. Behind the screen, Bathory was clutching his head in his hands and trying to calm his teammate down.

"Yeah," Lova added, "From what I've seen, you've got zero digit brain cells. Every time you join in we have to guide you all over the place."

"Oh yeah?" Yautja asked. "If I was so brainless, would I have thought up my awesome ploy to get myself out of here?"

He spun around, showing Bathory and Isuzu behind him now. The two of them stared dead-eyed at the camera as Yautja continued.

"That's right, I was the mastermind all along, playing you two for a fool! Hah! What do you think, Bathory?"

He looked back extremely proud of himself, not grasping the extent of anything he did. On screen, Lucra and Lova stared at Bathory the same way he stared at them. After a couple seconds of silence, Bathory spoke lightly.

"Yautja, you fucking moron…"

Lova and Lucra sprung to action.

"He's escaping!" Lucra yelled to someone. "Everyone get over there!"

Bathory ran up, ended the transmission from Yautja's side, and immediately reached for Aphelion. He grasped at the green bindings around the device and channeled his energy into breaking them. Slowly, they cracked and then shattered. The device was free and it felt the connection to its master.

[WELCOME BACK, MY MASTER]

"Aphelion, no time to waste. Set up, and get a signal out for our location."

The fire alarm activated for the building and Bathory knew that was related to them. He heard commotion down the hall. He reached for the energy blade from Yautja's side as the bald man activated his Gauss Staff. Bathory tossed the blade to Isuzu and the three of them readied their weapons for whoever would arrive.

* * *

"I'm getting something from the missing device, Mistress Hayate!" cried Reinforce Zwei.

"Oh?" Hayate Asked. She looked at the projected scan of the Capital and the new dot in the inner part of the city. "Rein, pass this on to the others and get it to Siba as well!"

Next to that screen, Signum appeared on another one.

"You've read a signal from our diplomat, Mistress?"

"Indeed. Tell Fate and Vita about it. I am sparing no expenses this time."

A third screen appeared with Negati on the other end.

"And I'm already on it! If we find whoever took Bathory in the first place, I'll break every bone in their bodies!"

Hayate smiled lightly, even given the situation's gravity.

"Temperament, Mrs. Kardenis. We would like to set the right example for Midchilda."

"Ehh…yeah, sure…but I still call dibs."

* * *

Dark green shots raced across the room, followed by a heavier blast of magic from the stolen military device. The group those were intended for fired back with their own weapons and attacks. A rapid fire burst from Bathory let the group get closer up the hallway before they had to blast a door down and duck into another apartment.

"Just like old times, Bathory!" Yautja yelled.

"What – you start this shit and I get us out of it?" Bathory remarked.

Isuzu was hit with something from the other side of the door and a man ran in, slamming him against the wall. Yautja reached over, pulled the attacker back, and hit his directly with two shots from the Gauss Staff. When the man dropped, Yautja grabbed the back part of his weapon and pummeled the man with the larger end a few times.

"FUCK! YOU! IN PARTICULAR!" He yelled while doing so.

"Stop, stop!" Bathory cried, pulling his teammate away.

"You don't know him, man, he was a real asshole to me."

"Focus on getting out of here, Yautja!"

The group realized they were being closed in, and across the hall was an elevator. Prepping the three, Bathory blasted the elevator doors off and jumped through, hoping they weren't too high up or too far away from the elevator itself. The drop below him was a lot further than he thought it would be, and both Yautja and Isuzu had followed him.

"Ah – GRAB ON!" he yelled, reaching back with his left arm. "Aphelion, catch us!"

As the group plummeted, Yautja grabbed Bathory and Isuzu grabbed Yautja. From Bathory's right gauntlet, an energy blade appeared that Bathory swung into the wall of the elevator shaft. With the bottom approaching, the device tried its hardest to stop the momentum, and it did so rapidly, though with a loud pop from Bathory's shoulder. He gasped out in pain while Yautja looked down at the bottom of the shaft.

"Woohoo!" he cried. "What a rush, man! You doing okay there?"

"N…not really…" Bathory gasped.

Since his device was connected to the wall and not him, it could keep its grip and pull them up to the nearest exit. Once the group pulled themselves out from the shaft, Bathory immediately went to lay down on his back. With his left hand, he moved his right arm to be at 90 degrees to him.

"Okay, so what next?" Yautja asked.

"Damn it, can either of you help me? Oh – thank you, Isuzu. You see the pictures Aphelion's showing you?"

Isuzu looked forward from his position at Bathory's side. Aphelion had projected several steps for popping the dislocated shoulder back into place. Bathory tried to guide him through, as pained as he was.

"Yeah, okay, grab it, start lifting it – ah, a little slower, okay, you're gonna need to pull now, on the count of three – like, when I say three – got it? Okay, one, two, three!"

Isuzu pulled, and with another loud pop, the shoulder went back in place. Bathory cried out from the sudden pain but it began to dull and he could use his arm again. He rolled onto it for some pressure momentarily while Yautja looked on.

"Geez, you okay?"

Bathory took a deep breath and had to consider his words carefully.

"I'm glad we have enough team players to make it through this."

"You betcha! This is awesome! Hey, I see an exit – I think we can get out of here."

Without waiting for Bathory to get up, Yautja sprinted for the window. At an intersection in the hall, he was blindsided by a robotic punch that sent him through the drywall opposite the puncher and into a living room. Bathory got up to see Lucra in the way. She barely stopped after decking Yautja to rush angrily in at her attempted captive. Behind her, Yautja stepped out into the hall again only to have a teal magic triangle appear under him and several binds reach up around him.

"You moron!" Lova cried, following after her partner but directing her hate at Yautja. "Backstabber! Betrayer!"

"You should've seen me!" said Yautja. "I took that staff and blew your crew away one by one."

Lova would up a punch of her own. Even though it hit nowhere near as hard as her partner's robotic attacks, it still turned Yautja's head to the side and he would have stumbled if he wasn't trapped in Lova's binds.

"What do you think you're doing talking back to me like that?"

"Exactly what you said. Talking. Keeping you listening."

Lova's eyes went wide. She hadn't been backing Lucra up.

"Lucra!" she yelled, turning. The sight wasn't good though. Between Bathory and Isuzu, they'd trapped Lucra in some bindings of Bathory's own, and the magic blade pushed against her caused a painful surge across the skin where it touched. Bathory and Lova stared each other down.

"You let her go!" Lova cried.

"Not so fun when it's the other way around," said Bathory. He heard sirens of Siban Bureau cars in the distance. "Here, I'll make you an offer because I know you can put up some barrier to keep me here if you wanted to. But the Bureau is coming, and you don't want to lose all your progress. So, you let us go, and I give both of you time to get away. Sounds good?"

Lova stood there, taking in the sirens getting closer and closer. Finally, she nodded.

"Yeah. Fine. But know this – the Eye of Belka is watching. It's staring. It's judging. And soon, this whole planet will be judged."

She let Yautja go and watched as Bathory and Isuzu guided Lucra over. Eying the door, Bathory passed Lova while still holding the other woman so that the three men were closer to the door. Then, Bathory released his bind and shoved Lucra forward while turning to run. Lova caught her partner and tried one more attempt to stop the group, pulling down a water pipe from the ceiling and dousing the group in the murky brown water than had been unused. Coughing, Bathory shot behind his group blindly in case anyone ran after them, but they reached the doors and pushed their way out. Turning, Bathory saw a lineup of Bureau vehicles and several air mages hovering in the sky led by Fate Harlaown, with their weapons aimed at the doors. When Yautja and Isuzu ran through, they fired.

"Wait!" Bathory yelled. He put up several green barriers in front of his temporary teammates that the shots crashed into but didn't break. "Wait, they're with me!"

"And what about them?" Fate asked.

Bathory turned, hearing footsteps from the building. A group came running out after him, and the three men all continued running.

"They're not!" Bathory yelled. "Fire away!"

Fate hovered above them, summoning several projectiles from a yellow magic circle.

"Plasma Lancer, fire!"

Her shots raced out to the crowd and slammed in, kicking up dirt and creating explosions where one crashed against a quickly-broken barrier. The other air mages fired in after her, creating an impenetrable perimeter of energy blasts.

Bathory ran to the cars, and the back of one van slid open. Negati jumped out.

"Bathory!" she cried.

She ran to Bathory and the couple hugged each other tightly. Bathory rubbed his partner's back, and Negati pressed hard against him.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," Bathory reassured.

"Bathory?" Negati asked.

"Hmm?"

"You smell terrible."

Her husband laughed in relief. She did so as well. They released the hug but kept looking at each other, at least until Yautja stumbled over as well.

"Oh man, not what I thought I'd be doing today, I tell ya."

Negati recognized the voice. Turning, she recognized the face. Inside of her, that horrible moment where her life was in this evil man's hands raced to the surface. As Yautja saw the woman, the same thing happened with him, only he was angered from a different memory. She was the one who finally caught him and locked him away years ago.

"YOU!" they both yelled. They started at each other but Bathory quickly jumped in between.

"Wait, wait! No fighting, no fighting, we're all cool. Yautja, this is what I was trying to tell you. I married that woman. And Negati, Yautja wants to get out of his position. He's got a good cause. No one fight."

As the red lines of mana on Negati's arms receded, Yautja turned more casual and easygoing.

"Well damn, Bathory, last I knew, she was trying to bust you same as she did to me. I wonder how this happened."

"It's a long story, man. I'll tell you later."

"Pardon me," said Signum as she stepped into the group, "but this man is also with you, was he not?"

Bathory looked at Isuzu who seemed nonchalant and perfectly casual. He was also wet from the unexpected downpour.

"Yeah, he's a friendly," said Bathory.

"I was unsure, as he did not communicate with me."

Negati walked up to the silent man.

"You got a name, at least?"

Isuzu unfolded the paper and showed Negati the first side. She read it, then sighed.

"So, you don't want to talk to us, or-"

The man flipped it over to the other side and Negati read that. Like her husband did, she sighed.

"I guess that's the follow up most people have. So, Isuzu and…Yautja…what is your plan now that you're out of there?"

"I'll do whatever it takes to see Efra," Yautja answered. "And those women who kidnapped Bathory? The two that have been giving Siba so much trouble? I know some things about them. More than you do. Some 'intel', if you will."

"Then we are interested in hearing it," said Signum. "We appreciate anything that benefits our knowledge of this planet's situation."

* * *

 _I got bridges; I got matches_  
 _But I got limits_  
 _You'll never see 'em_  
 _I'll cut and run before you get near them_

 _Bite the hand to spite the trap_  
 _Save the body;_ _Trust the map_  
 _Feet don't fail me;_ _We can bail_  
 _Let's keep the shell intact_

 _To hell and back and not a slogan on a shirt to show_  
 _I want you bad a_ _nd I don't show it but it hurts to go_

 _It's feast or famine;_ _I honestly kinda hate both_  
 _I'm drowning in this optional -_ _Tell me what's impossible._

P.O.S - _Faded_

* * *

 **A/N:** Ahh man, Cliffhangers and Part 1s make me want to write Part 2s faster! So, Yautja is a character from all the way back in my first story, Raze the Stray. If you couldn't tell, he's a bit of a buffoon who gets in over his head on what his decisions are and it's up to Bathory to bail him out. But yeah, like I said, I'm bringing _everyone_ back for this final ride. Even the ones you wouldn't expect. Everything is coming full circle. Isuzu is new, though, and I liked my addition to the idea of dealing with a 'silent' character too much to pass up.


	13. Feel Past the Words

**Chapter 13 - Feel Past the Words**

* * *

Siba

The doors to the conference room slid open and Bathory and Negati walked through. There was a round of cheers and applause from the rest of the diplomatic group that had been waiting for them, half-joking but partly serious. The current problem had been resolved, Bathory hadn't been seriously hurt, and the team could continue their activities. Bathory laughed and went along with the semi-joke, bowing lightly like a stage performer.

"Thank you, thank you," he added, "but really, it's nothing."

"It was an unexpected event, that's for certain," said Fate.

"Yep," Ferraz Delahaye added with a cocky smirk, "you got 'em all in a panic. You should've heard them barking orders at us."

"Ugh, can I roll my eyes any harder?" asked Agito, glancing at the Siban woman.

"In any case, we are grateful for your safe return," continued Fate.

Near the head of the central table, Reinforce Zwei slammed her hands down on the tabletop to get the room's attention. She had to get on her tiptoes to get good leverage considering she was only the size of a child, but she tried her hardest.

"Okay, everyone! We will proceed with Miss Hayate's plan now!"

"Oh?" Negati asked. "What's that?"

"Thank you, Rein," said Hayate. "We have asked our guests, who assisted Bathory in his escape, to present what they know on the leaders of the forces against the Siban Bureau. It is evident that many of the incidents seen were led by or arranged by them, so it is imperative that we receive as much as we can get about them. I notified Vita to bring our guests over, so please take a seat."

The group all found seats around the large table and soon enough, the door slid open again. In walked Yautja Crawmer who had cleaned up as much as he could. His face still looked like it tried to mate with a pile of bricks, but his clothes were clean and he didn't smell. Vita was behind him, keeping him in order. The man let out a quick sigh as he scanned the crowd.

"Wow, an entire room of Bureau mages, huh?" he asked. It wasn't cuttingly sarcastic, but it wasn't in complete astonishment either. He knew he was in the belly of the beast but this was a bigger crowd than he expected. "And you all have the fancy blue uniforms as well. Must be pretty special. Hey, even Bathory got one!"

"This isn't a comedy show," Vita said. "Get on with it."

"Oh, but we bonded so well," Yautja retorted, "me doing literally anything and you watching over me. You put that limiter thing on me, right, so why do I need your supervision?"

"Because we checked your rap sheet and it wouldn't be a good idea to leave you alone?" Vita asked sarcastically.

"Oh please, Siba pads the hell out of that if they charge you. So many worthless things on it. I mean, 'resisting arrest'? Duh. Who has ever _wanted_ to be arrested?"

"That's not what got my attention!" Vita yelled. She looked about ready to end this argument with force so Hayate quickly cut in.

"Vita, please, find a seat. Mister Crawmer, correct? We are interested in seeing what you have to show us. You may proceed."

The hammer knight gritted her teeth and grumbled as she went over to an empty chair. Yautja walked up to the front and a large screen appeared before everyone with some of what the man had gathered shown on it. Yautja got to the screen and turned.

"Alright, ladies and…more ladies. Midchildians, huh?" He asked like he was still trying to work the crowd. "At least, you blue suits are. Big shots, right? That's what I heard. How are you liking our little planet? Looks like kind of a dump now, but I guess that's why you're here, right?"

Bathory's hands quickly went up to rub his head.

"Yautja, stop trying to be friendly with them."

"What? You said you were all friends here."

"I – yes, I know, I'm specifically telling you to stop. I'm embarrassed by association."

The other man grunted and shook his head.

"Okay. Well, I'm Yautja Crawmer and, ahh, I used to live halfway across this planet in another city, until I sat in prison for a while and then they were gonna move me here. You don't have to worry about me, though. If anyone tries to attack, I know how to choke a man out in under ten seconds."

"And everyone else in this room has learned how to send them to the hospital before they get that close," Negati said. "Move on."

"Okay, okay, just...introducing myself."

He checked what was on screen. It was images of the first of the women that had been antagonizing the Siban forces. She had frazzled, teal-green hair.

"Ah, okay," said Yautja and turned to face the group again. "This is Lova Somna. She might have called herself 'Dreamer', like, that was the codename she had whenever going out to do anything. She specializes in barriers, shields, binds… but she's not just there for support. She'll go on the attack."

"Offensive crowd control," Ferraz added. "She split me up from Daito and Hinode with a distraction for them and then a barrier to trap me with her. She gets you right where she wants you, and you don't even realize it until it's happened."

"From Arin and Asana's report, it sounded like they drove into a trap," said Negati from the other side of the table. "Her binds picked the vehicle right off the ground, crushing it into a cage that Arin couldn't escape from."

Bathory glanced around, assuming he should contribute next and seeing many of the group expecting the same.

"Yeah," he said, "Especially with her partner there, you don't get a break. Like Yautja said, she's not just a defensive mage. You don't just have to worry about getting trapped in place. She'll cut off your path, create new hazards, and tear the whole place apart around you if she needs to."

"Do we know her background?" asked Hayate.

"Funny you should ask that," said Yautja. "There's more paperwork you can get about her than you think and it tells quite the story. Look."

Yautja pushed new info onto the screen, showing records of both an application to the TSAB by Lova and also her arrest papers. They were not dated far apart.

"Look at this," said Yautja. "She tried getting on the Bureau. I don't think it went far enough for her to be evaluated. I couldn't find anything like that. But still, maybe Siba could have gotten her details if she didn't end up in the back of a Bureau van so soon after. I don't have to walk you through every step now, do I? You get your name on file here, and your hopes and dreams go kaput."

Ferraz laughed softly.

"You almost had it made, Lova… you get on the Bureau and it's a good life. You can do whatever you want. It's crazy to think that in another life, we'd be fighting on the Bureau together."

"There is still time for that," said Hayate.

"What? Are you insane? After everything she's done to this city, and even just done to us - the people in this room – you would still give her a second chance?"

Fate reached into her pocket and took out the standby form of her device. She glanced at it as she responded.

"It is not as unlikely as you believe. I believe we all know well the value of a second chance."

The Enforcer looked around, noting the smiling faces of the Midchildan party. Off in the Siban section of the table, Ferraz sighed.

"I'd lock her up and throw away the key myself after what I've had to deal with, but…difference of opinion, I guess! It sure makes for a healthy discussion!"

"And one other thing," Yautja added. "Lova's weird. She'll space out sometimes and mutter strange things about an 'Eye of Belka' or something. What did she say to us at the end there, Bathory? That is was judging us all or something like that?"

"Something like that," said Bathory.

"Yep, that sounds familiar," added Ferraz. "There was something about that Eye when I fought her."

"She'd mutter different things about it, but a lot of it was how the eye is shining brighter, getting stronger, things like that…" Yautja added.

Hayate rested her hand against her chin and she furrowed her brow.

"That Eye again… she has referenced it many times."

"And it's nothing, remember Commander?" Ferraz asked. "There was nothing in that one Knight's prophecies. It's just the ramblings of a crazy person."

"She seemed lucid when talking to me," said Bathory. "If capturing me was her plan – or even if she was just helping with the plan – she knew what she was doing."

"You're making this way more than it is. It's one person saying this whose body must have grown too much linker core and not enough brain cells."

"I still feel there's something deeper than that to this," said Hayate. "There may be a force only she can recognize behind her power or behind this city's struggles. If she is talking about it growing stronger, that is another sign that there is more to this. I have not exhausted all of my resources yet, Lieutenant. Whether you like it or not, I will pursue this further with other leads."

"Then you can leave me out of it. Anyways, what's next?"

Yautja moved more information to the screen. This was now about the other woman – the one with brown hair and cybernetic arms.

"And here's the partner in crime – Lucra Kern. 'Dancer', she calls herself. There aren't any files with the TSAB for her. I had to hear the right things at the right times and check birth records. But here she is. Looks familiar to everyone?"

Negati, Bathory, and Ferraz nodded.

"Good. If they're heading out to do something, they're always together. It's like they never leave each others' side. Lucra is the aggressive one. Man, she'd get right up in your face if you didn't do something just they way they wanted. And I don't think I even need to tell you about her ability. You can see it for yourself – those two robotic limbs. They've got more power behind them than our human limbs do – that's why people get them."

Yautja paused his speech and cut the formality as he began to rant.

"Okay, look, you want to talk about the problems with people on Siba, look no further than all this 'cybernetics' crap. Every power-hungry asshole with more money than sense goes to some back-alley shop and gets a shiny new set of robot limbs. Then they've immediately got power on the rest of us who don't want to turn ourselves into freaks. I'm not really with the Siban Bureau on a lot of stuff – obviously – but I agree with their efforts to round those cheaters up and turn those parts into scrap. I mean, the next step after that is cybernetic brains, cybernetic everything - just a robot at that point - and you all know those are just killing machines! I mean, didn't a bunch of them murder, like, half your planet or something?"

As Yautja's rant went on, the discontent in the Midchildian audience grew more and more. Awkward glances turned to muffled whispers and arguments among themselves that might soon reach a breaking point. Yautja was oblivious to this, though. He kept going like nothing was wrong.

"And so anyways, I'm just telling you how it is. There are assholes like that on Siba, and there are probably assholes like that on Midchilda too, so-"

Bathory was the first to break.

"YAUTJA!" he yelled with his head in his hands again, "Shuuuuuuuuuuuuut up!"

Yautja turned, indignant.

"Hey, that's no way to treat a speaker."

"And this is no way to – you know what, you're right, I'll come up there and have a nice, cordial discussion with you. Everyone else, I'm sorry, give me a minute."

Among the still-disgruntled mutterings of his group, Bathroy got out of his chair and raced to the front. He reached Yautja and grabbed the back of the man's head to pull him in closer.

"You idiot. You moron. You brain-dead imbecile," Bathory whispered.

"I thought you were gonna be cordial?" Yautja whispered back.

"Don't start with me. What did I tell you about this meeting? These are the people who will decide whether to get you out of Siban prison to something a thousand times better, or throw you right back in! And I'm kinda leaning towards option two myself. So keep all your opinions to yourself, and just…give them what they are expecting and not the first thing that flies out of your mouth. Got it?"

The older man just chuckled nervously.

"Wow, we…we shouldn't be arguing like this. Remember the good old days?"

"When I thought the Bureau would kill me if they caught us? When I had to save you from your half-baked ideas if I didn't want to get backstabbed? Yeah, real fun. But look, Yautja, things are a lot better if you work with Midchilda. I mean, I'm wearing one of their blue suits. I went from being completely screwed like you were before today to riding along with two Aces and the Wolkenritter. That's a lot better, isn't it? And if you want to see Efra again, like you told me you did, you'll do everything in your power to make these people happy. Got it?"

"Fine, I got it."

"Oh, and Yautja, did you know that I just so happen to have a robot leg?"

"You do? No, I didn't know-"

"Exactly! And do you know why I have one? Because my real leg got blown off trying to get off this planet a second time. I would've been stuck the rest of my life with a stump if Midchilda wasn't so kind. We couldn't have escaped if I just had a stump, right?"

"Well…okay, but you needed to-"

"And also, I've actually met a bunch of those cybernetic 'killing machines' that Midchilda rehabbed. They're a good family. They support each other and help out where they can. Any of them would put anyone else before themselves. In fact, I'd rather be talking to any of them right now than you."

"Wow, harsh."

"But fair. Now, it looks like the group's calmed down again, so just…finish this out strong, okay?"

Bathory turned to go back to his chair without waiting for an answer. In his position, it was more an order than a question. Yautja continued his presentation.

"Okay, so, I wish I could tell you where they will go to next since you raided their current base, but I can't. They have a lot of resources in this city and I'm sure they've just set up somewhere else. You'll need to find them yourselves or hope you catch them when they strike."

"Siba should focus its attention on capturing those two," said Hayate. "Though many citizens are discontented, it is those two who form that into action. If they can be stopped, I believe it will be easier to bring the rest of this rebellion under control."

* * *

Lucra and Lova had found a new place, another small apartment on the other side of Siba Capital that was barely a step up from the previous one. Currently, Lucra was walking down the street alone after meeting with some of the others who escaped the raid. She had her standard civilian attire of an oversized jacket that covered her arms completely with a hoodie that went over her head. She was almost back to the apartment when she saw a bright teal glow illuminate through one of the windows facing her. Her heart dropped when she realized it was the color of Lova's magic, and it was coming from the room they had gotten.

Lucra raced forward, reaching the building and bashing the hallway door open. She charged up the stairs, up several floors until she got to their places' floor and then went down its hall for the door. She forced it open and ran in.

"Lova!"

The sight before her was terrifying. Her partner hovered limp in the air, eyes closed as a bright teal crystal encased her and then teal chains reached out from everywhere to wrap themselves around that.

"Lova?" Lucra yelled again, "what are you doing?"

"We lost them," Lova called out from inside her prison. "It's all my fault."

Lucra ran forward and reached for some of the chains. She grabbed tightly with her cybernetic hands and pulled on them, attempting to rip the chains apart.

"It's not your fault! We can recover. We can keep going. Stop this!"

Whatever chains she broke just caused more to race out from the floor, ceiling, walls – wherever there was room. Lucra looked at that and then focused in on the crystal that the chains all headed to. If she could break the crystal, she could get Lova out. She threw the jacket off, showing her full cybernetic arms. With a loud cry, she wound back and punched the teal crystal. She only made small cracks around the area she hit, but it was something. She punched several more times, forming the cracks larger and larger, before more teal chains reached out from the floor and wrapped around Lucra's body. She gasped as her arms were pinned to her sides and then the chain retracted, pulling her to the floor.

"Lova, please!"

"The eye…it hates me!"

"Lova, talk to me!

"I let it down. I ruined it all."

"No! No, you didn't. I…don't do this!"

Lucra pulled at the chains binding her arms with all her strength and shattered them. Free once again, she got up and resumed pounding on the crystal prison, putting all her strength into every punch. She grunted and roared, focusing on the spot that large cracks on the crystal were now radiating out from. Lova began to thrash about, as little as she could, as if Lucra's efforts were directly hurting her.

"I'm sorry!" she yelled, her eyes still shut tightly. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she repeated over and over.

Lucra didn't try to respond. All her efforts went into destroying this crystal and finally she punched her way through it. Only a small area opened up around her fist, but as she grabbed Lova and pulled her close, the entire crystal and all the chains disappeared. Lova fell limp and Lucra moved to catch her. Soon, the brunette was kneeling on the floor with Lova resting against her. Lucra held her partner tightly while the teal-haired girl breathed softly.

"Lova," Lucra asked. "Hey, are you okay?"

Weakly, her partner looked up and opened her eyes.

"Oh…Lucra…I'm sorry to worry you."

The brunette started to cry and she rubbed Lova's head lightly.

"What was that? What happened?"

"The Eye…it was so bright and angry…it was punishing me."

Lucra held her partner tighter and rested her head against the top of Lova's.

"Don't scare me like that. Please…you're getting so much stronger now."

The teal-haired woman smiled and pressed closer into Lucra's chest.

"This anger in the city…it's like a fuel for me. The more there is, the more I can do."

"I don't know if I can stop you the next time. So please don't let it hurt you, for my sake. I was so scared."

Lova listened to the beat of Lucra's heart and smiled.

"I promise. I won't let that happen again."

* * *

Gerin Parkensine walked through the halls of the upper floors of the Siban Bureau building, flanked by several mages wearing identical barrier jackets. He was headed for General Alcyone's office. Without waiting, he pushed the door open and stormed in. General Dreischer Alcyone stood in the room, looking out the window at the city below. She spoke like she knew this was coming.

"I do not want to hear it, Gerin. I am not clairvoyant and you cannot put the blame on me again."

"You failed, Dreischer. Yes, the diplomat was returned, but you provided the rebellion with that initial victory of taking him. They have gotten to our front door now! What will happen to us if they get any further?"

Alcyone turned towards the intruders and stepped forward.

"Are you ignoring our victories just to present this one-sided case?"

"There are no victories! Only burning flags and fallen men. You have so much of our forces working into the night yet the remaining citizens who support us keep fighting for rest. Frankly, you have been outmatched by the enemy, and it is an embarrassment."

"The enemy? It is still our own people, Gerin! They followed our orders at one point. Don't act like it is impossible for them to follow them again."

"Dreischer, your sympathy falls short when you cannot take back control."

"I will not draw my line where you do. Yours is so narrow and deep that there would be unrecoverable consequences."

"And maybe that is what this planet needs. In my time, we did not tolerate stepping out of line. We must show that we are still in control, and what is left of the Capital will then know it for the rest of time."

"You…you scare me, Gerin. Need I remind you that are just supposed to be dealing with Midchilda?"

"Need I remind you that you are supposed to be winning?"

"And I will! We still have time. Our officers are still out there fighting. Do you think I want us to fall? Do you think I am sabotaging my own Bureau? I would give my heart for the deliverance of our planet. Isn't that an honorable task?"

Dreischer had to momentarily rest. Her weary frame couldn't take such intensity in arguing for long. She reached out for her desk and leaned against it. Opposite her, Parkensine stood firm, still flanked by several officers. He allowed the General to pause, though, and he lowered his voice when he responded.

"There is no honor found in decay. The feral verdure creeping through the cracks in the ground reflect themselves in your stature. This is killing you."

"I will die with this ship if needed."

"The ship should never even sink in the first place. If its Captain cannot navigate it through the waters, then perhaps it needs another Captain."

Dreischer slowly looked back up at Gerin.

"What are you here for, then?" she asked. "Is it just to belittle me for doing my best?"

"If this is your best, then your best is not good enough."

The man stepped forward sternly.

"That is why I am retaking the role of Commanding General of the Siban Time Space Administration Bureau."

Dreischer pushed up from her desk and stepped forward as well.

"What? You cannot just take your position back."

"But I am. This is a coup, Dreischer. You have no say in this."

The woman fumbled for words to respond with before shaking her head and pointing at Parkensine.

"I will not let you do that. Officers? Get this man out of my sight."

She waited for any of the mages near Parkensine to move – to reach for him and drag him out of there. Instead, it was silent. All four younger mages exchanged nervous glances and kept their devices lowered.

"Did you hear me?" Dreischer asked in disbelief. "I am giving you an order. Take this man away!"

Finally, one of the officers stepped up and stood next to Parkensine.

"I am sorry, ma'am," the mage said, "but…I just want this conflict to end."

The rest also moved up and stood in line with Parkensine. Dreischer glanced at them all and again fumbled for words.

"N – no, I said…I – I told you…you…you have to…"

Fear was apparent in her eyes. She backed up, bumping into the front of her desk with a startled gasp.

"I…no, I'm in charge here! You all do what I say!"

One of the mages slowly raised their device. The rest followed suit. Nobody said anything during it, but the message was clear. Dreischer fought to hold back tears and her head sagged downward.

"Oh, Gerin, how many of them want this?"

"Enough for me to know that I must act. Now, you will listen clearly to what I am saying. I am offering you a way out that preserves your integrity. Tomorrow morning, you will speak to this planet and officially step down from your position, reassigning it to me. If you do not take that, then you will simply be deemed unfit to lead our Bureau and your title will be stripped from you by force. The choice is yours, but you must make it now."

The woman could not hold back her tears and she shuddered with a few silent sobs. She could not bear to look up at the man.

"You cannot see all of my challenges from the outside," she said. "Only once you own them will you know what I had to face. And to the ungrateful bastards that want you back, once they see the hell you bring to this planet, they'll be grateful that I kept them blind."

"So…are you choosing to keep your dignity?"

Alcyone shuddered again but finally looked up.

"Yes. Tomorrow, I will step down gracefully and give you back this seat you've wanted so badly."

Parkensine smiled and looked out the window again.

"Good. You may not see it now, but soon you will realize this is a benefit for the both of us. I will take upon myself the canker of this planet, and you can keep the glow of your glory."

* * *

The meeting with the Diplomatic groups and their guests wrapped up without knowledge of the upheaval elsewhere in the building. The parties left the conference room, with the Midchildian group mostly staying together aside from Vita who escorted Yautja back to his holding cell. The Siban group went the other way, not wanting to intermingle more. Ferraz led the conversation, agonizing again over how close she'd been to capturing those two mages when they fought. Hinode followed, just nodding along politely, and neither noticed that Daito has faltered to stare out the window at the rest of Siba Capital. In particular, he stared in the direction of the Siba Capital Belkan Church.

It was far away in the distance, requiring a train ride to get to. Going there would be an investment of his time. Something pulled at him, though, when he thought about it. There were many unanswered questions in his mind and issues still circling him regarding his future with the Church. He thought back to the recent events there – his confrontation with the Diaken especially – and he felt both like staying away from those walls forever and also going forward to re-confront them. After everything the Church has done for him, but also with everything the Bureau demands of him, what should he do?

Daito looked at the sky and noticed it was growing cloudy and grey – the type that signaled an impending storm. He couldn't wait much longer or it would be a miserable trip to and from the Church grounds. Checking that he was alone and that Ferraz hadn't noticed, the boy went in the other direction to his room and changed out of his uniform to civilian clothes. Putting Boden in his pocket, he raced to the train station, alone in his effort.

* * *

 _The wound of the warden_  
 _From cradle to the grave_  
 _The senseless apprehension_  
 _Of freedom's wily ways_

 _I know one day they'll be grateful_  
 _I know one day they'll worship me_

 _Choice is too precious_  
 _To be wasted on vermin_  
 _That's how we'll keep them_  
 _Sheltered, fetal, fed and glutted_

 _The sweet drug of anesthesia_  
 _Hell is easy to find_  
 _And I know that in time they'll be glad I kept them blind_

SubRosa - _Wound of the Warden_


	14. Prayers and Triangles

**A/N:** As a warning, this chapter deals heavily with topics of religion regarding the Belkan church and faith which obviously parallel real-world religion. It is, and has been, a crucial part to some of the OCs in this story that they struggle with the Church and struggle with their faith. I just want to make that clear regarding the subject and events of this chapter in case that's a heady topic for someone.

* * *

 **Chapter 14 - Prayers and Triangles**

* * *

 _When there's nothing to believe in_  
 _There is nothing I can lose._  
 _These hands of loneliness are everything that comfort me._  
 _I am chained to a bar like a bird in a cage._

 _That's when I close my eyes and this world just disappears._  
 _I raise my voice to scream but still I am not heard._

ARKTIKA - _a praise for ghosts_

* * *

Siba

Hesitant. Hesitant and tense – like an over-wound string. That's how Daito felt looking up at the front of the Siban church. It held his past within its walls but it was also the forming grounds for his complicated questions. His previous visit days ago brought arguments without answers – rebellion without a direction. Lashing out at the Diaken, leaving the congregation – what did that achieve? Nothing, it seemed now to the boy.

His Midchildian visit to the central Saint Church was a desperate effort to get answers from the source. If the ghosts of Saints past or their reincarnations truly held the power there and carried Belka into this century, he may have found what he was searching for. Instead, he saw only messengers - Sisters and Knights inside those walls who were repeaters but nothing more. He was challenged, too, with thoughts that made him squirm. Was he deaf to the saints' voices, or was he choosing not to hear them?

The clouds overhead thickened. A low rumble echoes from above and a few raindrops fell onto Daito's head. He glanced up momentarily before deciding to get inside.

* * *

Hinode also stared at the developing storm, though she was back at the Siba Capital Bureau building with Ferraz. The meeting had ended and the groups disbanded again. It was a lot to take in for a young support mage. Two women of incredible power were the leaders behind the forces of people turning on the Bureau. They'd gained so many followers so rapidly, it seemed. Isolated incidents now felt connected and it seemed like soon that rebellion would be at the Bureau's front door once again. If only she, Daito and Ferraz could have stopped them when they fought before. If only…Daito…

Daito! Hinode thought about her partner and realized he wasn't with them anymore. It wasn't that long ago they left, and he would have said something, right?

"Umm…Lieutenant?" Hinode asked.

"Yeah?" replied Ferraz.

"Where did Daito go?"

The older woman looked around. She had assumed her group was together.

"Ahh…dah, I dunno. But he can't run off. Call him and tell him to get back here."

The younger girl nodded. She reached for the loose necklace that held her device and looked down at it.

"Edelkroone, contact Daito."

The device projected a screen as it tried to get a signal from Daito's device. The generic background showing the Bureau's emblem slowly spun around for far too long.

"I don't think he's answering," said Hinode.

Ferraz groaned and rubbed her temple in frustration.

"You kids can't…like, I know I didn't give an order out loud but I didn't think I had to. Okay, well, where is he?"

Hinode reached for the screen and interacted with it, bringing up various panels and selecting options for the device she was trying to connect to. As some image appeared on her screen, she gasped.

"What?" asked Ferraz.

"Daito – he's at the church!"

"Okay. Shoulda asked, but-"

"I'm sorry, but I need to go there!"

Hinode closed the screen and turned to run off. She got a couple steps in before a commanding voice froze her.

"No, no, he ran off but that doesn't mean I'm letting you go too." Ferraz said.

"Lieutenant, please, Daito's in trouble!" Hinode pleaded. "The last time he was there, it really didn't go well. I'm worried for what might happen to him…or what he might do."

Hinode didn't lie, nor did she manipulate. Ferraz knew this. So if the girl was truly this worried, then she had cause to believe so. Ferraz pulled at her collar.

"I didn't know it was getting that bad. I could tell there was some friction but…okay, I'll let you go."

"Thank you!" Hinode belted, bowing rapidly before resuming her race back to her room. She changed quickly into her church robes before going to the train station to try and catch up.

* * *

Daito opened the door and stepped in, letting the door slowly close behind him. From the darkness of the clouds outside, the front interior was cast in little light. The murals on the walls of past Belkan figures greyed together as the normal colors dimmed to darker shades. Daito immediately noticed that he was alone. No one from the church was here in the front foyer, waiting by the pillars or walking to their destination. He took some hesitant steps, looking around and trying to find the life in this place. Daito walk halfway across the grand front when he noticed that the doors in front of him – the doors to the main hall – were closed. Perhaps everyone was there at a service. He imagined now how it would go if he were to open those doors to find rows of people following along to the Diaken's sermons at the front. If that was the situation, then surely Diaken Sonderklasse would see him enter, and whatever dramatic events that unfolded would unfold without preparation. Or maybe Daito would enter in some other moment, during a singalong of a traditional tune or something else where he could sneak quickly to a bench and get his head down to think it through. That's what he forgot – he realized, the words! The rebuttals! The answers if he were asked a question. All he brought were his own questions and the emotions that drove him to act in the first place. Reaching the closed doors, he took a deep breath and opened them.

Nothing. Nothing again. The rows were empty, as they were on Midchilda when he entered that main altar. The windows that should have cast natural light brought little in from the storm outside. Again, it was dim, and again, Daito thought he was alone. 'What was going on,' he asked himself. However, there was one source of light in this room – a glowing figure hunched over at the altar in front of the boy. The figure was engulfed in white, as if someone was mid-transformation to their barrier jacket, but this light sustained itself. Keeping his hand near the pocket that held his device, Daito slowly moved toward the figure. When he was about halfway down the aisle, the figure shifted. It stood up and the head looked forward. The only detail the figure had aside from the pure glow on its body were the two eyes that now looked on at the boy. One pupil was red, and the other was green.

"Hello, Daito," said a female voice. It came from the figure, but no mouth opened. Daito stopped in the aisle, planting his feet as if preparing for something, though he didn't know what it would be.

"W…who are you?" he called out.

The bright figure stepped forward, down the front stairs of the altar and to the bottom of the aisle. Then, she continued, slowly trailing towards the boy as he grew more and more on edge. Finally, the figure stopped and began to recede the glow. The figure of Olivie Sägebrecht stood in her barrier jacket, the purple giving way to the off-white color on her chest and arms with the red rose prominent in front. Then, she shaped herself down to the armored skirt that covered her legs, with the purple cloth forming a crossing pattern down the front of it. Despite the new clarity, there was still a soft white glow around the figure. The figure smiled and held her arms forward.

"It's me, Daito," the figure said. "The last Saint King - Olivie."

The figure's posture and tone seemed warm and enticing but Daito suspected that was the point. He narrowed his eyes.

"No you're not. That's the first thing we learn in the first history lesson – that you died long ago. Who are you really, and what are you trying to do?"

"I sense a darkness in your heart," the figure said. It lowered its tone but still tried to be soft and disarming. "You have so many questions, don't you? You've gone so long wondering who you can trust. It's heartbreaking. But I want you to know that I can help. Come to me, and you will see the answers to your troubles are here where you belong."

"I don't need to be sold my salvation," the boy replied, "and I know where my troubles are. They're everyone's troubles – all of Siba's! They're out there burning down our city, street by street, stone by stone. Now I'm not playing your stupid game. Who are you?"

"I told you, I'm Olivie. The last of the Saint Kings."

Daito reached for his device and pulled the gem from his pocket.

"No you're not. Boden, transform!"

The device glowed now before extending out in both directions from Daito's hand to form the central pole. The blue energy blade formed, singing with mana and the force behind it as it formed its center at the top of the side of the pole. An electric blue Belkan magic triangle formed on the floor under Daito.

The figure's expression shifted now from the pleasantness she had worn before to a nervous look.

"Daito, please, talk to me."

"No! I didn't come here to be patronized and manipulated! I'm getting the answers here. Last time I'll ask, who are you really?"

"I said that I'm Olivie, I-"

Daito raced forward, roaring as he swung Boden at the woman. She gasped, reached out, and emitted her own triangle of protection that the blade crashed into. Daito gritted his teeth and swung several times more, leaving marks across the energy barrier from his device's slashes. The figure behind the barrier winced through the effort required to keep that shield up and crossed her arms defensively in front of her. She only got respite when the boy jumped back and paused again.

"Please…" she said while panting, "Daito, we don't have to do this. Listen to your Kaiser, please."

Another blue triangle formed under the boy. He grabbed the pole of his device with both hands and aimed the blade forward.

"I told you I won't be manipulated," he yelled. The triangle grew brighter under him and he called out "Boden, shoot it forward! Detonation Blade!"

His device surged with energy before the blue blade launched itself forward, piercing into the figure's shield and making her flinch back. It went halfway into the barrier and there were deep cracks across the surface of the barrier but it held, at least until the blue blade began to glow with a loud charging sound. It exploded, shattering the barrier, kicking up a heavy cloud of dust, and sending the figure flying back with a loud cry.

Daito waited in place as the energy blade re-formed on his device. He stood rooted at the dust began to settle. On the other side of the explosions, her back against the raised altar and coughing some of the dust out, was a different woman. She wore the standard outfit for a Sister of the church. She had dark brown hair, turquoise eyes, and looked up at Daito again. She smiled weakly and spoke even weaker.

"You're right, Daito. I'm sorry about that. It's me, Sister Sharan."

The woman slowly picked herself up and stumbled forward from the altar. Daito watched on with a piercing look the entire time. The woman walked back up the aisle, using the benches to keep her steady. Before she reached Daito, she fell to her knees. She struggled to look up again but she managed to do so. Once again, her eyes showed a welcoming warmth.

"We can figure this all out," she said. "We can help you. The Diaken and I, everyone else – we want to help you. You look so lost, and we have the answers here, where they were the entire time."

She watched. She watched for something to happen with Daito, whether it be him loosening his grip on his weapon, or maybe his expression changing in some way, but nothing was happening. He just stared at her, as ready to continue as if she still wore her disguise.

"Daito, please," Sister Sharan said. "Please listen to me. It's me – it's really me this time. Not Olivie, not anyone else, just me – Sister Sharan. You believe me, right?"

Daito continued to glare for another few seconds. The only sound was the woman still breathing hard from the effort she'd just put into her spell. Finally, something happened. Daito gripped his device tighter and narrowed his eyes even further.

"No you're not."

He raced forward again, swinging Boden and slashing the woman across the chest, tossing her back. He followed, and she quickly looked up and held her arm out. This time, it was a terrified plea.

"Please, Daito, I am, listen to me-"

Again the boy roared, slashing the energy blade against his target. The blades cut through clothes and touched skin, but didn't cut through any further. It just left piercing jolts of pain that coursed through the body of the older woman. Daito followed up again, swinging over and over while crying out loudly.

"I WON'T BE MANIPULATED! I WON'T FALL FOR YOUR FUCKING TRICKS! I WANT MY ANSWERS, AND I WANT THEM NOW!"

He wound back with a roar and swung Boden into the woman, catching her across the chest with the energy blade. The force tossed her back violently again and she slammed into the side of the raised altar. She collapsed, not moving for a few seconds. The only things she eventually did was turn her head slowly to look at Daito again and groan wordlessly. Now Daito was panting hard and he was shaking with the release of his anger. His device felt far heavier in his hand but he kept his grip on it. He had no further plan, no next step, but the woman – that thing – in front of him was still looking back. He took a step forward and then heard a loud voice behind him.

"Daito, stop!"

The boy spun around and saw an older man in grander robes. It was Diaken Sonderklasse and he was joined by some of the other Sisters of the church. The man's powerful gaze locked Daito's eyes on his.

"What are you doing?" Sonderklasse asked. "That's Sister Sharan you are hurting."

"No it's not," said Daito. "That's someone playing with my mind."

"No," the Diaken responded. "Look at her. Look at what you've done."

Daito spun back around, glancing down the aisle again. He saw the limp figure of the person he'd attacked once again, and he saw her pathetically glancing up at him. This time, something changed in him. Something was different. As the other Sisters ran past him to tend to the injured woman, the boy's energy fell and his face went sullen.

"Oh shit…" he muttered. His device deactivated and he put it back in his pocket. He went to run down and help as well when he was frozen once again by the Diaken.

"No, Daito. You cannot do anything now. Turn and face me."

The young knight turned and watched the Diaken walk from the doors to stand in front of the boy. For a tense moment, the two just faced each other before the older man slapped Daito across the face. Daito gritted his teeth and reached for Boden again, but before he could get there, white chains reached up from the floor and wrapped themselves around the boy. They pinned his arms to his sides and then they pulled him down to his knees before pulling him further, forcing him to bend at the waist and face the ground. Daito struggled as the Diaken spoke sternly down at him.

"You will pray for forgiveness from the Kaiser. You will beg her for it after what you've done."

Daito twisted his head to look up as much as he could.

"Or maybe I'll spit on your shoes, old man, if you don't let me go."

He laughed as the bindings receded slightly, letting him lean up again. He was still on his knees staring up at the Diaken but at least he wasn't inches from kissing the floor.

"If I prayed," he continued, "no one would hear. The Kaiser is dead and the dead can't listen."

"She's only dead to you because you killed her!" the Diaken responded. "Give her a place! Give her a flame. Give her a shimmer or spark to use. She can't save someone who chooses to abandon her."

"I tried, sir. Every sermon, I sat there, eyes closed, head bowed, repeating the words like everyone else. And when I opened my eyes, I was all alone again."

"You had your classmates, your friends, your Brothers and Sisters and I by you – for Kaiser's sake, where were you looking!?"

"The same place you were when you could hear everything those dead Saints told you. It's funny – you heard so much, but I heard nothing at all."

"What do you take me as, boy? What do you believe I am?"

"A hypocrite, sir. If you went outside these walls, maybe you would see the state our world is in. Maybe you did and that's why you turned and waited for this revolution to run its course."

"The people need a guiding light! The church will be there in their time of need."

"More like your time of profit. Try braving this rain, lifting a stone, extending a hand, anything really, or get the fuck out of my way when I take Hinode and fight for the Bureau! These people you think will flock to you when they're in trouble aren't doing so. They're banding together, gathering weapons, and fighting back themselves. Thank you for your prayers, really. Thank you for the words that only people wearing the right robes can hear. Because the rest of us? We go unanswered and abandoned. If I am faithless, then I will wear that with pride. If I am not wanted here, then drag me out like a corpse from the ocean."

The two stared at each other once again. The face of the Diaken seemed uglier than it was before. It had the visage of a weathered man - deep lines and knotted curves. There was little beauty in a face like that. Frustrated, the older man raised his hand again, balling it into a fist. Daito stared rebelliously, waiting for the strike. Instead, the Diaken sighed and released his hand, letting his arm fall to rest normally.

"We will have no more violence in this room today," he said. "And son, you shall get your wish. You have earned what you have longed for for so long. I hope you are content with the damage you have done."

* * *

Hinode pushed the large gates at the front of the church grounds open in the pouring rain. From the train stop to here she had become drenched but now her destination was so close. She ran with more than a need to get out of the rain – her haste was out of worry for her partner and what might happen to him inside. She ran across the grounds to the front door, but as she got close, those doors swung outward violently. A cabal of church members shoved Daito out hard enough that he lost his footing and fell to the ground. The hazel-eyed girl gasped and ran to her partner, kneeling down in front of him.

"Daito!" Hinode yelled. She went to say more, but she was cut off by a voice from the mages near the doors.

"Hinode, get away from that sinner!" boomed the Diaken. "He injured Sister Sharan…and has destroyed whatever sympathy I had for him."

Hinode felt a pang in her heart at the news. She glanced down at her partner again, who had gotten to his hands and knees but was facing downwards.

"Daito…is that true?" she asked.

The boy slowly looked forward but still didn't glance all the way up. This was an honest prostration at the feet of the only idol he knew he believed in. He smiled sadly and quoted from a common recital the two had learned from their years at the church.

"I know now that glory has not a place near my hands or any man. Whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of the Kaiser."

Tears from Hinode's eyes joined the raindrops that fell down her face.

"Daito…don't scare me like this…"

"Come, Hinode," called the Diaken again. "Come out of the rain. We have room for you in our walls."

Slowly, the young girl got back to her feet. She watched Daito, waiting for him to finally look at her, but the boy just let his head drop once again. Hinode faced the open doors and ran the last few steps, shutting her eyes and forcing herself to not look back.

* * *

 _An obsidian box remains filled with the flesh and bone of this once beleaguered man.  
Only darkness greets him now, a shallow pit of soil and twisted root.  
Sacrificed his physical being to make sense of his emotional pain.  
Only darkness greets him now._

 _An obsidian box filled with his tattered remains.  
I raise my hands up for them to be swatted down by a void of nothingness;  
his contribution cannot be in vain._

 _Let us not be borne away, a mass of black shapes around a grave._

Locktender - _The Abbey in the Oakwood_


	15. Human Antenna

**A/N:** I don't even know what to say this time. I'm alive, obviously, but every week until I got an extra free day on a holiday and actually used it, I just. could. not. write. In fact, it's because of these long droughts and the way-too-slow progress of this whole story that I've decided to accelerate the ending and get the story done quicker. It's not suddenly ending now, or next chapter, or so on, but I've basically skipped a lot of the build-up that would have been there and then I'm thinking of 'jumping between the highlights' of the following parts. Looking back, I most wanted to write EotH when dramatic things or dark things would happen soon, so I'm going to make sure that they do. Every single chapter.

* * *

 **Chapter 15 - Human Antenna**

* * *

 _Someone show me a hole in this cycle.  
Show me the way away and I'm coming back the way I came._  
 _No, I've seen this place before._  
 _Surely this is no place for the light of this world._

 _And oh how sweet the sound;_  
 _I know it saved but is it changing a wretch like me?_  
 _And oh my God how sweet is the sound;_  
 _I once was blind but now I just look away._

As Cities Burn - _Thus From My Lips, By Yours, My Sin Is Purged_

* * *

Siba

Daito had got back to the train and had taken it away from the church. The rain was still coming down when it reached his stop and departed. He spent a silent moment under the canopies next to the tracks, and then he walked out. He felt the rain's touch again – falling against him heavily, especially at the slow speed he shambled at. He walked to the road and continued alongside it down the sidewalk, not even trying to seek cover under awnings or storefronts if given the chance. Hands in his pockets, head down. That's how he walked. What finally broke his concentration – his internal repetition of the events at the church – was a car pulling to the side of the road next to him and stopping. The side window rolled down. Ferraz was in the drivers' seat.

"Daito!" she called out. "Get in."

Her subordinate stopped and looked over, startled from his routine and caught off guard. He kept looking at Ferraz but not doing much of anything else. The rain kept falling on him, and now it was also hitting Ferraz' car through the open window and dripping into it. The older woman grunted in frustration and leaned over to the passenger door, pushing it open towards the boy.

"Come on, Daito, get in!" she yelled.

This snapped the boy out of his stupor and he followed her instructions. He jumped in the passenger seat and shut the door behind him. While he worked on his seatbelt, Ferraz was rolling the window back up, and when that was done she immediately started driving off again. Daito looked over and started.

"How did you know I was-"

"Boden sent me a message," Ferraz interrupted. "What's going on? Are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened back at the church?"

It took the boy a second to realize Ferraz was actually waiting for an answer. He stumbled and stammered a couple times, then quit that attempt and pulled his device from his pocket. He looked down at Boden.

"Don't ask me questions you already know the answers to."

It wasn't the answer Ferraz expected, and she had to think about it. Daito's device had sent a distress signal – but only to her – and the location didn't stay at the Siba Capital Sankt Church. There hadn't been anything over the Bureau's comms about an attack at the Church either. But something happened where Daito had needed his device, or at least had used it…

Ferraz figured it out and slammed her hands down on the steering wheel.

"Damn it, Daito! Why? Just…why did you have to make it worse?"

"I thought you'd be a little happy!" Daito yelled back. "I don't have to keep entertaining the Diaken and everyone else anymore. I don't have to play their stupid games. I'm here for the Bureau now, like I always wanted to be. Isn't that a good thing?"

"No – I mean, yes, that's good, but-"

"Then what do you want, Ferraz?"

"I just want everything to stop getting worse!" she cried.

Ferraz sounded like she was barely holding back tears. Daito was surprised by the extra emotion, and he paused. He could tell Ferraz wanted to continue. After a couple deep breaths, she did.

"Everything is still just falling apart. Our city's problems aren't getting any better. Midchilda just keeps getting in our way. And even down to the three of us – you, me, and Hinode, I just…at least, I feel like I'm losing all of my battles. I can't tell my sister what she needs to hear. And I would say I'm trying, but I don't know if I am! It's one of those things where every time I think about it, I just…nothing happens. Nothing comes to mind for me to even throw away. I'm just standing here waiting to get run over by the next thing she does to me. And so…I guess…I just want something to go right for you and Hinode. Maybe one of you can make something better. You're the new generation of the Bureau. I'm in the one that caused all of this."

Ferraz' hopeful wishes just pulled at Daito's heart. He felt awful again – a sense that he was disappointing someone else with what he'd done. He wished he could force those emotions to go away, but it wasn't that easy.

"I'm sorry," the boy said. He clutched Boden again and played the events at the Church in his head once again. "I'm not the one who can do that. This is me at my darkest…"

Against the rain that still tapped against the top of the car, Ferraz sighed. She'd calmed down enough to be at a normal conversation volume.

"Okay, I didn't mean to drag you down any more myself," she said. "I'm just worried about where this could all be headed. But I shouldn't have yelled at you. Maybe that's what I need to work on, right? Because if I lose my cool, then I just amplify the problem – it causes more arguments, more discord… And that's what's happening around us; we're all like human antenna – magnifying every problem and beaming it every which way to everyone else, dragging us all in… am I making any sense, Daito?"

The boy looked out the window at the city passing by.

"Y…yeah, I get it."

Ferraz laughed lightly but kept her comment to herself.

 _But what if I fell straight down and that broke me out of this mess that I've been living in?_

The car turned onto another street, but it soon slowed to a stop behind traffic that was parked in every lane. It looked like the stopped cars went on for a ways. Ferraz and Daito tried to look around the car in front of them to see what was causing this, but they couldn't see anything from the safety of their own vehicle. Ferraz parked the car and opened her door.

"Stay here," she ordered.

She got out and shut the door behind her. Now she was standing in the rain and she quickly unbuttoned the top of her Ground Forces uniform and pulled the coat up and above her like a makeshift hood. She wasn't the only person in this traffic jam with the idea to get out. Other people were also in the paths between the lines of cars, looking on or walking forward out of curiosity. Ferraz squinted, but it was hard to see anything at the back of the line. All she could see was a faint glow in the distance. It was white, and it was a constant glow, but that was all she could tell. Was it a spell? A barrier? Ferraz listened for any signs of a battle, but all she could hear was the rain and the murmurs of the car engines around her. Then, finally, she heard something else.

Screaming.

Multiple voices doing so, and then others doing the same, and it was like a wave propagating back through the crowd. People closer to the glow turned and tried to run, when suddenly something pierced through that group – like a tendril or vine, but glowing brightly and seemingly made of energy. A different tendril went through each person and the people could only barely react to that before they seemed to freeze in their position as their bodies began to glow the same bright white. Then, they were like statues and nothing more. The tendrils carried on rapidly, swinging around and seeking out someone else before diving towards them and piercing them through. The same process happened to them and then they too were frozen by this unknown force.

Ferraz watched in shock as the tendrils jumped from person to helpless person. Each victim acted like a human antenna, emitting transmission lines in the form of this network from body to body. It was happening too rapidly for anyone close to the force to stop it. In the row between cars one lane over, the ground mage saw a tendril lunging towards a woman running away, and Ferraz reached out her arm to summon a barrier. A purple triangle formed between the retreating person and the energy spike, and the spike went straight through the spell, piercing the other woman without even being affected by the barrier. Ferraz's look of shock turned to horror, until her device rang out as loud as it could.

[MASTER]

Ferraz looked forward as a tendril was rushing towards her. Impulsively, she grabbed her device.

"Subrosa!" she yelled and swung forwards. As she did, the device materialized in her hand into the purple energy sword and cut the tentacle straight through. The end of it fell to the road next to Ferraz, and then the length of the tendril from the last person it had taken on to the end that had been cut off by Ferraz lashed violently around before dematerializing.

Ferraz turned and ran back to her car. She saw that Daito had gotten out, and the boy had barely started trying to say something before she cut him off.

"Get back in, now!"

Daito did so and Ferraz got back in the drivers seat. They shut the doors and Ferraz went to put the car in reverse, but looked back and saw she'd been blocked in.

"What's going on?" asked Daito.

"I don't know!" Ferraz yelled. "But if we don't get out of here, then-"

Two tendrils whipped at the car, smashing against the front windshield and cracking it heavily. Daito cried out in shock and whatever decision Ferraz had been stuck on was answered with that. She slammed her foot on the pedal and turned the steering wheel, angling the car so it slammed into the corner of the one behind her and knocking that one out of the way enough to keep moving. It was chaos around them and Ferraz just kept the car in reverse, going as straight as she could. They had to keep moving. She imagined that if she even tried to spin the car around and drive forward, that would take too much time and they'd be caught by whatever this thing was. That was supported by what was happening around them – the tendrils jumping to new victims and even multiplying out from the human cells – the Qliphoths of this humechanical masque – the victims of a sacrifice decided for them by a digital-like neuron chain.

"Move!" Ferraz yelled at everything behind her. She reversed the vehicle as best she could around the obstacles and against her internal panic, but that could only work for so long. A tendril whipped at a large vehicle in an attempt to get the driver, which tipped the vehicle onto its side and directly in Ferraz' way.

"Shit!" Ferraz cried and turned to avoid it. She still clipped the edge though and her car began tipping over as it raced towards the buildings on the side of the road. She reached over to protect Daito as the car went upside down and slid on the sidewalk, slamming against a building and breaking through the glass exterior. The car was halfway on the sidewalk and halfway in the building when it hit the edge of the storefront and stopped violently.

* * *

"Everyone, into the air!"

Hayate flew up to get a vantage point. Her knights and Fate followed. Through the city, they could see this network of energy rushing out from its origin and down the roads, gaining distance as it finds more victims and trapping them in the network.

"Damn it, where's all the people this planet brought in?" asked Vita.

"We cannot wait for orders," said Hayate. "We need to stop this ourselves. Everyone, go! I'll coordinate."

They were all in their barrier jackets already. Signum flew off with Agito, Vita with Rein, and Fate alone into Siba Capital. Vita flew towards a tendril that had solidified between cells.

"Graf Eisen," she called, "Raketenhammer!"

The head of her device grew larger and a drill formed on one side. On the other, a large exhaust port formed and flames came barreling out of it. The momentum spun Vita around several times and then she launched herself forwards with the drill whirling violently. She slammed the drill into the energy line. It stood firm in place, even as the drill began to smoke from the contact and Vita put extra effort into her strike. Only when the drill began to crack did Vita pull away.

"Damn it!" she yelled into her transmitter, "I can't break the ones that are already there!"

"Neither can I," said Signum over the same channel.

"What kind of magic is this?" asked Fate.

"I don't know," Hayate answered. "But then our plan has changed. If we cannot save those already taken, we must protect as many people as we can."

"Understood," said Fate. She located the ends of the network near her and flew off towards them, changing Bardiche to Zanber form. With her speed, she cut through several tendrils and watched as they dissolved back to their origin before sprouting again. She prepared a binding spell, hoping it would do something.

"Lightning Bind!" she yelled and brought her arm out.

A cube of yellow energy formed around the tendrils. Fate watched to see if it would trap them inside, but they pierced through the walls as if they weren't even there. She had that same realization and her heart sank. But she had to do what she could so she flew into the path of the new tendrils and readied Bardiche to cut them apart again. But as they raced towards her, they all turned up and around her before continuing, like Fate had an invisible bubble. They didn't try to reach her at all. Fate slowly reached up to her earpiece.

"Vita, Signum," she said, "They aren't attacking me. What about you?"

"What, ya want me to confirm that?" said Vita. "Just stand in front of one? Sounds like a death wish."

"I will support her claim," said Signum. "I do not appear to be their direct target."

"Then what is this thing!?" Vita yelled. "Why doesn't it care about us?"

Hayate was listening in, still by herself with a view over the city. In her heart, she knew the answer. She hated it, but it was the only thing different between them and the people who were targets for this being.

"We're not Siban," she said quietly.

It took a second for someone to respond.

"What?" asked Vita. "Hayate, what are you saying?"

"We are not from this planet," Hayate answered. "We are just diplomats. Visitors. Foreigners. We did not cause this planet's problems."

The rain pelted down onto her cap, drenching her longer hair that was not covered. She had been holding Schwertkreuz at the ready in case it was needed, but now she lowered her arm and let it rest by her side. Her earpiece flared with Vita's voice again.

"This isn't making any sense. I'm coming back!"

Vita flew up to her master. Signum and Fate didn't trail far behind. They hovered together as a group again.

"Who's doing this?" yelled Vita. "Who wants to do th… _this_ to everyone else but leave us alone? Doesn't the group that hates the Bureau hate us as well? Hayate, please, this doesn't make sense. You're scaring me!"

Hayate looked into the city at the origin of this energy. There was a massive sinkhole around the white energy that seemed almost like the trunk of a tree as it came from below the surface. All those tendrils would be the branches, spreading in all directions through the network of Siban citizens.

"There's no one person who's doing this," Hayate answered. "It's Siba. It's the planet itself."

Suddenly, the grey clouds overhead started moving – spinning – around a point. From the middle of the clouds, a hole in the cover formed and expanded out to the edges of Siba Capital. It looked like the middle of a hurricane, and the uncovered area was directly over the source of the energy. Signum looked up at the eye of the storm and it hit her – one more crashing realization on top of everything else.

"No way…" she muttered. "It can't be…"

"The Eye of Belka…" said Fate.

A screen appeared next to Hayate with Chrono on it. He was standing on the bridge of The Claudia.

"Hayate, what's going on?" he asked.

"Chrono, you see this too?"

"Of course I do. I'm preparing to fire directly at the source of that…thing. Please get out of the blast range."

"No!" Hayate yelled. "Don't do that!"

"What?" Chrono asked. "Why not?"

"It – we – we can't do anything to what's already formed. We've tried – all of us! An attack from the Claudia might do nothing to it and instead destroy whatever shelter anyone has found!"

"Well you just said you can't stop it with your group alone. I have the Claudia in orbit but that's _all we have_ at the moment. I can't reach anyone at Siba's Bureau to request support."

"You don't need to," Hayate said. "With the events that have happened, I believe we can override Siba's control of our mission. Midchilda will lead the efforts to save this planet and I will take command until stability is restored. Not just stability of the Bureau, or the Capital, but of Siba itself. Let's regroup on the Claudia; I will make the call for support once there."

Hayate began to fly up through the opening in the clouds and to the Claudia. The others followed.

* * *

Ferraz couldn't tell if she'd been shutting her eyes tightly ever since the crash, or if she'd passed out somewhere in between. Either way, it had felt like forever since the car came to a stop. Part of it was her fear at what she'd see if she opened her eyes. Listening to her surroundings, she couldn't hear much. The rain was gone, no one was yelling, and the noise of those…things…was just a constant hum. Finally, she peeked one eye open and then two. She was still in the overturned car but now she was laying on the roof, looking up at the seats.

"Daito?" she called out quietly.

"Ferraz!" the boy whispered. He was still here as well. "I didn't know if you were alive or dead – I was so worried…"

"What's happened? Can you tell?"

"No, I just…just stayed here. I didn't want to go out there."

Ferraz looked out the broken window and into the shop they had crashed into. The first floor had collapsed into a basement storage area, but it looked like there was enough of a ramp made to get down there safely.

"We have to at least get out of here," she said. Let's stay out of the street for now. We'll see what happened and then-"

She went to move and felt an awful pain in her leg. Ferraz stopped immediately and her hands reached wildly to clutch something as she gasped. Daito pushed his way over and offered his own hand, watching Ferraz fight to keep from screaming.

"I'm sorry," said Daito. "We can stay here if you want."

Ferraz shook her head, finally releasing the breath she'd been holding in.

"No…it's never been easy before…so why would it be now? I can do this."

She slowly rolled over and began crawling out of the wreckage. Daito did his best to clear a path for her until they got to the incline from the collapsed floor. After wondering just how the hell she was going to do this, Ferraz got onto her side and slid down as much as she could without her injured limb hitting anything. Then, they crawled to the opposite wall and finally sat against it, looking back the way they came. Through the broken window-front of the ground floor, they could see at least that the rain had stopped. Ferraz slowly reached for her device and held up the purple rose-shaped gem again.

"Subrosa, tell me something good. What are you hearing on the Bureau's channels?"

The gem pulsed as it responded.

[PANIC FROM ONE HALF AND SILENCE FROM THE OTHER]

Ferraz closed her eyes again and let her head drop.

"What a bountiful harvest we have today…"

She also let her device slip from her hand and fall to the floor. Daito heard it hit the ground and he got to his knees, turning to look at his commanding officer.

"Ferraz, please, I – I can get help. I'll find the others. Please don't give up."

The woman opened her eyes again and held her head up, but she didn't face Daito. She stared off in front of her at seemingly nothing, like a passenger of herself.

"That would be great, Daito. You can go off to save the world… and I'll stay here, where they won't find me."

Something was so uncomfortable about the response, but Daito couldn't think too much about it. Maybe Ferraz was just out of it from the crash still. She wouldn't die with the injury she had. He could leave her alone for a bit. Gathering his wits, Daito turned to climb back up the incline and face the outside world. He stopped at the top and looked back at Ferraz again.

"I'll come back," he called. "Don't worry."

He walked off and silence shaded the panic room once again.

* * *

 _Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world._

Matthew 13:36-40


	16. Pariahs, Revisited

Okay so this is the real chapter, or at least enough scenes put together to be a good enough collection. Still super short but better than what I did before. Sorry, but, REMEMBER ME FOR THE BEST THAT I HAVE DONE; AND NOT WHAT I CAN DO.

* * *

 **Chapter 16 - Pariahs, Revisited**

* * *

Siba

Backing up a bit, As Daito stood atop the rubble of the basement and looked back at Ferraz, he thought of something. He contemplated the differences in their situations – her lying back, weak and wounded, and him standing strong in front of the storm – and thought of how their genders so often had such differences in status. Not just the differences in role seen in the earliest hunter-gatherer societies, which could easily be explained by pure biological differences: men doing more of the hunting and physically intensive activity as women endured pregnancy, childbirth, and nurturing; but then the gap that developed as humans advanced and developed more and more into culture and invention. In almost every society, separated from other examples by oceans or even time, women found themselves at a level similar to enslavement or servitude. No single book with snakes in the garden or whores of Babylon led to every case, so how did it always end up like that?

Daito then felt a different, driving force within him. His device began to glow and he took the gem from his pocket.

[MY LORD]

"Yes, Boden?"

[YOU ARE THE DIRECT DESCENDENT OF LORD BURZUM – I CAN FEEL HIS POWER FLOW THROUGH YOU]

Daito closed his eyes and imagined a man, tall, strong, with a beard and long brown hair – an ancient image from a time before Unification. That was now his adult form. He opened his eyes again and now it was like he had a spirit with him; he turned to face the outside world again.

"Let's find our way back, Boden."

[JA]

* * *

The Claudia

Hayate landed on the Claudia and made her way to the bridge. Chrono turned away from the view of Siba to greet her.

"How many are you asking for, Commander?"

Hayate narrowed her eyes.

"Everyone. _Everyone_."

* * *

So now imagine it's daytime but it's a dusty tan; like a barren desert with slow-moving clouds of dust hovering above the ground. The tendrils that infested Siba Capital are moving away from the city, but now from the sheer distance it seems slow and monstrous-like.

A crackle came in over Satel's radio.

"How's it going, Major?" asked Hayate.

He and the remaining Siba Capital air force had posted up around the city, stopping the tendrils from moving out across the countryside.

"Could be better. It's a full time job standing guard by itself. We need more support."

"Midchilda is on its way, Major. Hold on for a little longer."

"Understood."

When the call ended, there was a deep rumble from off in the horizon high above them. Satel and his forces looked up to see a bunch of dimensional Navy spaceships warp in above Siba's atmosphere. Some might have called it an invasion but he saw it as their salvation front.

"Something's finally going our way…"

* * *

It was endless night for days now. The tendrils had all frozen; whoever was grabbed had been taken but they were not taking any more. The Siba Capital Church had been mostly unaffected, and now their members walked the cobblestone streets gathering up the bodies. One group was Hinode and Sister Sharan. Both were in their church outfits. Hinode held onto the handles of a wheelbarrow and pushed it down the middle of the street.

"Br – bring out your dead," she cried reservedly.

She looked at the haunting sights around. Corpses hung from light poles, now-dead long enough for the skin to nearly tear apart and send the bodies crashing to the ground. From the sides, people brought their fallen and dumped them in the basket.

Suddenly from behind everyone, a vehicle that looks rigged together from scraps of metal drifted around the corner with a bandit psychos party on top of it. They whooped and hollered behind their masks and raised their primitively-tied-together instruments above their heads. They drove down the street, veering back and forth wildly. People ran to get out of the way. So did Hinode and Sharan, but one of the riders swung a pipe against Sharan's head knocking her out cold. Then without stopping he grabbed her by the hair, taking her with the party as her feet dragged against the ground. Hinode saw this and reached her arm out as the vehicle was getting away.

"Sister Sharan!"

But then in front of the vehicle, a boy calmly stepped into the middle of the road. He was in his barrier jacket and had his device ready – a long staff with blue energy blades at each end. Daito calmly stopped and looked a the approaching car.

The driver banged wildly on the horn but also aimed right at the boy, intent on making him another victim of their slaughter. Daito just sighed and wound his arms back, hands tightly held onto Boden. When the vehicle came closer, Daito swung forward and grunted, sending a blue blade of energy forward that tore straight through the vehicle and split it in two. The two pieces drifted away from Daito and crashed down against the road, sliding and deforming as they broke apart.

Daito looked back, his face as plain and unfazed as it had been before. He just sighed, only becoming alert to the sound of footsteps running towards him.

"Daito, Daito!' cried Hinode.

The boy turned and Hinode leapt at him, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

"Hinode…"

"I didn't know, if you'd…"

She pulled back to look him in the eyes.

"I didn't know if I'd see you again."

Behind Daito, one of the bandits crawled out from the wreckage and struggled to his feet. He looked up at the boy and was met with an angered glare back and Daito raising Boden at them again. The troupe all turned back and started to run from the scene. Daito lowered Boden and looked back at the girl. She felt almost limp in his arms, like he was the only thing holding her up under the midnight sun and universal flame.

"We should get back to the Bureau. I won't lose you again."

* * *

Hayate sat behind her desk at the makeshift camp set up around the Siba Capital Bureau headquarters. She was now Commanding the entire sector of Midchildian Bureau forces as well as the Siban Bureau mages who stayed on the line. Many of the Siban officers had been defecting – disappearing from their companies without so much as a Dear John. It was enough to put several grey hairs on the woman's head, even barring what was about to happen. Hayate looked up as an unannounced guest walked forward and saw Nanoha Takamachi in her uniform. Immediately, Hayate knew what Nanoha was going to ask.

"No," she said.

"Yes," replied Nanoha sternly.

"Nanoha," Hayate said, quickly lowering her voice, "I'm looking out for you. This is for your own safety."

"You said that you needed everyone. I will _not_ stand by while people are suffering."

Hayate stood up.

"This is nothing like what you or I have seen before! And besides, I have my knights – and Fate is already here Nanoha, what about Vivio?"

"I asked Carim to look out for her. And Nove will take care of her if needed."

Hayate rubbed her temple with the side of her hand. She should have expected that Nanoha would be so dead-set that she'd already taken everything into account. What kept her from bringing Nanoha in was really just that she couldn't bear to see Nanoha hurt if that happened. But from every other perspective, and certainly from gauging the gaps in leaderships left by the Siban defects…

Schwertkreuz began to glow and a small screen appeared next to Hayate's head. Reinforce Zwei was on the screen.

"You have another visitor, Miss Hayate."

"Send them in, Rein."

The screen closed. Hayate sighed again but lowered her hand and looked at Nanoha with a welcoming expression.

"Very well. Even after all this time I still can't say no to you. If I kicked you from my office, you'd fight for us anyways."

The door opened. Major Satel Moraine walked in.

"You wanted to see me, Com… uhh…"

His eyes were drawn to the new arrival and he sort of just stopped in his tracks. No salute or bow of respect to the Commander who has summoned him, no nothing really. He stood frozen, processing that the other Ace was now on Siba as well.

"Major, I have an announcement to make," said Hayate. "As of right now, Captain Nanoha Takamachi will lead the Time-Space Administration Bureau's Air Forces Division for the efforts on your planet. You will be her second-in-command, though still directly responsible for your local planetary forces. Please do not see this as a demotion; you have done a fine job. I just hope you can understand the value added with this addition."

"No, no, Commander, I…I totally get that…" said Satel. He still seemed lost in his thoughts, processing where he was and what was happening. Indeed, the same thing that happened when he saw Bathory and Negati again was happening now as him and Nanoha watched each other. He remembered the events that happened on Midchilda years ago involving them both and he wondered if Nanoha would just strike him down at any moment. However, she seemed to be…not preparing to do so…and so Satel just counted his breaths and nodded along to the Commander's orders.

"Very well, Major, you may return to your duties." said Hayate. Satel bowed lightly now and left the room, closing the door again behind him.

Nanoha and Hayate looked at each other silently for a moment. Then, Hayate asked a question she hoped she knew the answer to.

"Does Fate know?"

Instantly, Nanoha shut her eyes and laughed softly.

"Haha, ahh… actually, if you really wouldn't let me join, and you'd send me back, then I'd have asked you not to tell her…"

Hayate practically slumped to her chair and let her head rest on the desk in an exaggerated motion.

"Okay, so, you stay right here…" she muttered. "I need to call everyone back here before word starts to spread."


End file.
